Ozempic may reduce the risk of alcohol abuse

Summary: The diabetes medications Wegovy and Ozempic, containing semaglutide, significantly reduce the incidence and recurrence of alcohol use disorder (AUD). By analyzing health records, researchers observed a 50% to 56% decrease in AUD in patients treated with semaglutide.

These findings suggest a potential new treatment for AUD. The study highlights the need for continued clinical trials.

Highlights:

1. Semaglutide, found in Wegovy and Ozempic, reduces alcohol use disorders by 50 to 56 percent.
2. The study analyzed the electronic health records of nearly 84,000 obese patients.
3. The findings could lead to new treatments for AUD, but more clinical trials are needed.

Source: Western Case Reserve

A new study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine finds that popular diabetes and weight loss medications Wegovy and Ozempic are linked to reduced incidence and recurrence of diabetes. alcohol abuse or dependence.

The team’s findings, recently published in the journal Natural communications, may suggest a possible new treatment for excessive drinking, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), a health problem that causes about 178,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved three medications to treat AUD.

The active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic is semaglutide, which belongs to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. GLP-1 helps regulate blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and reduces appetite.

Researchers examined the electronic health records of nearly 84,000 obese patients. They found that people treated with semaglutide, compared to those treated with other anti-obesity drugs, had a 50% to 56% decrease in the initiation and reoccurrence of substance use disorder. alcohol during the following year.

“This is very promising news in that we may have a new therapeutic method to treat AUD,” said Rong Xu, professor of biomedical informatics at the School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study.

Xu, also director of the School of Medicine’s Center for AI in Drug Discovery, was joined by School of Medicine co-authors Nathan Berger, Hanna-Payne Professor of Experimental Medicine, and Pamela Davis, Arline H Research Professor . and Curtis F. Garvin. . Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute for Drug Abuse, is also a co-author of the study.

“We collected real-world evidence in a way similar to our two previous studies reported earlier this year,” Berger said.

“In January, we showed that semaglutide is associated with a reduction in suicidal thoughts, and in March, we demonstrated that semaglutide is also associated with a reduction in new diagnoses and recurrence of cannabis use disorders .”

Similar results were replicated when the team examined the electronic health records of approximately 600,000 patients with type 2 diabetes. Again, they found consistent reductions in substance use disorder diagnoses. alcohol in people treated with semaglutide.

“Although the results are promising and provide preliminary evidence of the potential benefit of semaglutide in AUD in real-world populations,” Davis said, “further randomized clinical trials are needed to support its clinical use for AUD. “

About this neuropharmacology and AUD research news

Author: Rong Xu
Source: Western Case Reserve
Contact: Rong Xu – Case Western Reserve
Picture: Image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original research: Free access.
“Associations of Semaglutide with Incidence and Recurrence of Alcohol Use Disorders in the Real-World Population” by Rong Xu et al. Natural communications

Abstract

Associations of Semaglutide with Incidence and Recurrence of Alcohol Use Disorders in the Real-World Population

Alcohol use disorders are among the leading causes of the global disease burden, but therapeutic interventions are limited. The reduction in desire to drink in patients treated with semaglutide has sparked interest in its potential therapeutic benefits for alcohol use disorders.

In this retrospective cohort study of electronic health records of 83,825 obese patients, we show that semaglutide, compared to other anti-obesity drugs, is associated with a 50-56% lower risk of incidence and recurrence of alcohol use disorders over a period of 12 years. One month follow-up period.

Consistent reductions were observed in patients stratified by sex, age group, race and in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Similar results are replicated in the study population comprising 598,803 patients with type 2 diabetes .

These results provide evidence of the potential benefit of semaglutide in AUD in real-world populations and require further randomized clinical trials.