In a new statistical analysis, researchers have found evidence that drugs like Ozempic may help curb alcohol and opioid addiction.
Published in the journal Addiction, this new study saw researchers from Loyola University Chicago sift through more than 1.3 million health records to see how those who had been prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) fared when it came to substance abuse.
Among those records, the Loyola researchers settled on more than 8,000 people diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and more than 5,600 with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who'd been prescribed a GLP-1 like Novo Nordisk's Ozempic or Eli Lilly's Mounjaro.
Looking at nearly a decade of healthcare outcomes for those cohorts, the study found that the drugs can not only mimic the gut's feeling of fullness, but they can also curb cravings for things other than food, something that seems to have extraneous health benefits.
The medical experts behind the study saw 50 percent lower rates of intoxication among people diagnosed with AUD who had been prescribed a GLP-1, and 40 percent lower rates of overdose for people with OUD who used the injectable weight loss drugs.
Though the study's authors point out that there will need to be more direct research done to further establish the link between GLP-1s and better outcomes for people who struggle with addiction, they nevertheless think this could be a bellwether.
"The existing medications for treating substance use disorder are underutilized and stigmatized," pointed out biostatistician Fares Qeadan, the study's first author, in an interview with ABC. "These medications intended for diabetes and weight loss can help addiction without the associated stigma, which will be a new window for how to deal with addiction."
News of these promising findings come after a banner press year for GLP-1s, which have exploded in popularity as weight management tools. More and more studies have also investigated their so-called "off-label" uses teasing everything from smoking cessation to reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.
There will, of course, be a long road ahead to get FDA approval for Ozempic as a substance abuse treatment — but considering the latest findings, it's perhaps only a matter of time.
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