A new study is adding to the growing body of evidence that Ozempic (NVO-2.34%) and other GLP-1 medications could help people cut back on drinking alcohol.
Some patients taking a low dose of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, reported reducing their consumption of alcohol, according to a new study published Wednesday in the scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry. It was the first randomized, controlled clinical trial of the effects of semaglutide on alcohol consumption.
The small clinical trial followed 48 adults with alcohol use disorder who were not seeking treatment over nine weeks. During the study, researchers gave half the group small weekly doses of semaglutide while the other half received a placebo. After two months, the people taking semaglutide drank almost 30% less, on average, on days they consumed alcohol, compared to an average reduction of roughly 2% among study participants taking the placebo.
This new study follows observational studies, as well as anecdotal evidence from patients and healthcare providers that suggest GLP-1 treatments can help users curb addictions.
Semaglutide belongs to the class of drugs known as GLP-1 medications, made popular by Novo Nordisk’s diabetes treatment Ozempic. These drugs mimic a hormone that interacts with a region of the brain – the mesolimbic system – to reduce appetite and trigger satisfaction after eating. However, the evidence is starting to pile up that this medication could help people with other types of cravings. The mesolimbic system overlaps with the brain processes that influence addictive behaviors. This overlap suggests that these medications may “modulate the reward-response pathways associated with substance use,” the authors of a previous study theorized.
In addition to a number of studies, a Morgan Stanley (MS-0.73%) survey from last year found that people using GLP-1 drugs — among them Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro (LLY+1.17%), and Zepbound — reduced their consumption of tobacco.
At the moment, Novo Nordisk is the only pharmaceutical company that is currently studying alcohol consumption in a trial that examines semaglutide’s effect on liver damage.
David Ricks, the CEO of Zepbound-maker Eli Lilly, said in December that the company plans to test obesity medications as a treatment for alcohol and drug addiction starting this year.
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