A new study has suggested that weight-loss drugs like Ozempic could help people with drinking problems. Published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, Swedish researchers used data from over 227,000 people in Sweden’s patient data registry.
The subjects of the study were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder between 2006 and 2021. Out of these subjects, 4,321 used semaglutide, the drug branded under the names Ozempic and Wegovy, and 2,509 used liraglutide, another drug in the same class. These drugs are called GLP-1 agonists because they mimic a hormone called GLP-1 that help regulate appetite.
Analysis found that people using GLP-1 agonists were less likely to be hospitalised for problems linked to alcohol use disorder, such as intoxication and withdrawal symptoms such as delirium, compared to patients who weren’t using the drugs.
Specifically, semaglutide use was associated with a 36% lower risk and liraglutide with a 28% lower risk. Additionally, the risk of hospitalisation due to any substance abuse was 32% lower in those taking semaglutide, whilst liraglutide was associated with a 22% lower risk.
Naltrexone, a drug used to treat opioid and alcohol use disorder, was associated with just a 14% reduction in the risk of hospitalisation for alcohol and substance use issues.
Study co-author Markku Lähteenvuo told Live Science that this study cannot conclusively show the drug has directly treated a person’s addiction. “These are associations, and we need to verify them in clinical trials,” he said.
But he added that “the effect sizes were pretty big, so we are hopeful that these results are real.”
Lorenzo Leggio, clinical director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program in Baltimore said the study “adds to the growing evidence” that GLP-1 agonists could help treat alcohol use disorder and addiction in general. “This study investigated important outcomes (hospitalisations) that are very relevant from a clinical and public health standpoint – another important strength of the study.”
However, more studies and trials are needed to show that these drugs are actually driving change in addictive behaviours.