Novo Nordisk's Ozempic helped
Adults with alcohol use disorder who received weekly
The research may offer a potential step forward in the treatment of alcoholism, which affects more than 28 million U.S. adults, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The drug, along with its sister medication Wegovy, may also help more people avoid the risks of chronic alcohol consumption, which can increase susceptibility to cancer, the subject of a recent U.S. Surgeon General warning.
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The study of 48 people is the first to directly measure how Ozempic can impact alcohol use in humans. Previous studies in rodents and monkeys have seen the phenomenon, and one observational study found a reduction in alcohol-related hospitalizations in people who took semaglutide, the active ingredient in the Ozempic and Wegovy.
"Larger and longer studies in broader populations are needed to fully understand the safety and efficacy in people with alcohol use disorder, but these initial findings are promising," senior author and University of North Carolina endocrinologist Klara Klein said in a statement.
About 40% of participants in the JAMA Psychiatry study who were on the drug reported no heavy drinking days, compared to 20% on a placebo. The study pointed out that the effects of semaglutide on several drinking measures was greater than those seen from existing drugs to reduce alcohol cravings. In a small subgroup of participants who smoked cigarettes, those on the GLP-1 treatment saw a reduction in average cigarettes per day.
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Alcohol's negative impacts are leading more people in the U.S. to believe it's unhealthy — a record 65% of young adults ages 18 to 35 said they viewed alcohol as bad for your health in a 2024 Gallup Research poll.
Lorenzo Leggio, an alcohol use disorder researcher at the National Institutes of Health, called the article "a very welcome study and an important one."
