GLP-1's demonstrate neuroprotection in AD, satralizumab Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 Study, Rodolfo Savica, MD, PhD, on Neuroepidemiology and Environmental Exposures in PD

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Welcome to the Neurology News Network, my name is Louie Pasculli. With the 2026 AAN Annual Meeting now concluded, NeurologyLive was on the ground covering the latest data and speaking with leading experts. Here’s a look at some of the key highlights from our coverage.

Beginning with Alzheimer Disease, researchers recently presented a living systematic review of studies assessing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, including liraglutide (Victoza; Novo), semaglutide (Ozempic; Novo Nordisk), and exenatide (Byetta; Eli Lilly), for the treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Initial findings from the analysis showed that these agents demonstrated signals of neuroprotection and a reduced incidence of dementia, suggesting potential for disease-modifying effects.¹

Presented at the 2026 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, held April 18–22 in Chicago, Illinois, this review integrated phase 2/3 trials and large real-world studies between 2000 to 2025 evaluating GLP-1 receptor agonists to assess clinical efficacy, biomarker outcomes, safety, and accessibility in AD. Led by Aditya Jain, MBBS, postgraduate resident in the Department of Surgery at Shyam Shah Medical College in India, the study compared trial findings with population-level dementia risk reduction and applied an Efficacy–Feasibility Matrix to evaluate translational readiness for scalable, disease-modifying use.

Results showed that the treatment with liraglutide was associated with attenuation of FDG-PET decline and reduced hippocampal atrophy (standardized change, approximately 0.25 SD; P ≈ .04), despite not meeting its primary outcome, change in cerebral glucose metabolic rate.2 Results reported in November 2025 showed that Semaglutide did not demonstrate superiority over placebo in reducing disease progression in patients with early-stage symptomatic AD, despite improvements observed in AD-related biomarkers.3 Exenatide, delivered weekly by subcutaneous injection, remained underpowered because of an early termination and did not demonstrate significant effects in a phase 2 trial (NCT01255163) among patients with high probability AD.¹

Staying with AAN news, New data from the phase 3 METEOROID study (NCT05271409), presented at the 2026 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, held April 18–22 in Chicago, Illinois, showed that satralizumab (Enspryng; Genentech) met its primary end point, showing a 68% reduced risk in a new relapse compared with placebo in adults and adolescents with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Genentech noted that data from the METEOROID trial are planned for submission to regulatory authorities worldwide.²

Findings showed that 87% of patients treated with satralizumab were relapse free at 48 weeks compared with 67% of those receiving placebo, with onset of response observed as early as 8 weeks (P = .0025). Notably, treatment effects were generally consistent across subgroups, including age, sex, race, and background therapy use. In addition, results revealed that treatment with satralizumab reduced the annualized relapse rate, a key secondary end point, by 66% compared with placebo in participants with MOGAD (P = .0030).

Michael Levy, MD, PhD, associate professor at Harvard School and Massachusetts General Hospital, told NeurologyLive® this in an interview at AAN 2026. “We use a lot of off-label therapy in MOGAD, but much of it is expensive, and trying to get coverage for these off-label therapies for our MOG-patients has been a true struggle. This is true across the board. In many different countries, there are some less expensive alternatives, which haven’t been very well validated at all. This would be the first proven therapy—scientifically proven, hopefully FDA approved—that would essentially prevent relapses in our MOG-population.”²

Concluding with more insights from AAN, Rodolfo Savica, MD, PhD, an associate professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic Rochester, presented on neuroepidemiology and environmental exposures in Parkinson disease, building on these evolving insights. His work explores how environmental risk factors, including pesticide exposure and lifestyle-related variables, intersect with genetic predisposition to influence disease onset and progression.³

Following the meeting, Savica spoke with NeurologyLive® about the next steps needed to advance this line of research. In the conversation, he discusses the challenges of identifying environmental risk earlier in the disease course, the importance of gene-environment interaction studies, and the need for carefully designed, high-quality research before translating findings into clinical or public health recommendations.

To read the full piece and to get more direct access to expert insight, head to NeurologyLive.com. Be sure to tune in next week to remain informed on the latest in neurology. I’m Louie Pasculli, thanks for watching Neurology News Network.

REFERENCES
1. Jain A, Narsinghpura A, Mallepally A, et al. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Living Systematic Review Integrating Clinical Trials, Real-world Evidence, and Translational Feasibility. Presented at: 2026 AAN Annual Meeting; April 18-22; Chicago, Illinois.
2. Levy M, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Satralizumab in Patients with Relapsing Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-associated Disease (MOGAD): Results from the Phase 3 METEOROID Trial. Presented at: 2026 AAN Annual Meeting; April 18-22; Chicago, Illinois.
3. Krzyzanowski B, Mullan AF, Dorsey ER, et al. Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease. JAMA Network Open. 2025;8(5):e259198. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.9198