United States: Semaglutide, the bestselling GLP-1 drug on the market (Ozempic, Wegovy) could reduce alcohol consumption for those struggling with alcohol use disorder, and prevent them from reaching points that would need them to be hospitalized, research finds, as reported by HealthDay.
Several other publications have already suggested that semaglutide could exert effects on ‘appetite’ neurons in the brain that selectively douse the drink as well as the eat impulses.
Large Study Highlights Reduced Hospitalization Rates
Now, Finnish scientists report that their nearly nine-year observational study of nearly 228,000 Swedes with alcohol use disorder who took semaglutide had 36% lower odds of being hospitalized.
The second structurally related GLP-1 medication, liraglutide (Victoza), was also associated with a 28% reduction in hospitalizations, according to the team’s report published in the JAMA Psychiatry on November 13.
The study does not allow for the ascertaining of causality; it can only show correlation. However, according to these and prior studies, the researchers note, “Despite these data, clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm these findings.”
The study was conducted by Dr. Markku Lähteenvuo, of the University of Eastern Finland.
Correlation, Not Causation, But Encouraging Results
However, the study also showed that people with AUD who took semaglutide and liraglutide seemed to avoid being hospitalized, while those on semaglutide had a lesser risk of suicide.
Potential Impact on Suicide Risk
The researchers also found that using both of the drugs in the GLP-1 family seemed to be more effective for preventing hospitalization in those with alcohol use disorder than traditional anti-alcoholism medications, including naltrexone, disulfiram, and acamprosate; however, more research is needed to provide firm evidence of this, as reported by HealthDay.
The Finnish group observed that more effective pharmacotherapies for AUD are indeed sorely lacking “since current treatments may not be applicable for all patients.”