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Novo Nordisk‘s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic may also help people drink less alcohol.
That’s according to new government-funded research published in JAMA Psychiatry last week.
It was a small study of just 48 adults that lasted over two months, but it appears to be the first clinical trial confirming that so-called GLP-1 drugs could help reduce the risks of consuming too much alcohol. Multiple analyses of real-world data, along with studies in animals, have suggested that link.
The findings could be huge for those with alcohol-use disorder, which is when a person can’t stop drinking even when it puts their health and safety at risk. The condition affects almost 30 million people in the U.S., and encompasses what people generally refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence or alcoholism, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Alcohol use accounts for 2.6 million deaths per year, and increases the risk of common diseases such as different cancers, the study authors wrote. There are three medications already approved for alcohol-use disorder, but the authors said only a small share of patients with the condition receive treatment.
The new data adds to growing evidence that GLP-1s, such as Ozempic and its weight loss counterpart Wegovy, can help people manage cravings – and not just for food and alcohol.
Some preliminary research has suggested the drugs may dampen cravings for smoking, opioid use, gambling, and excessive shopping by hampering activation of the brain’s reward pathways. GLP-1s mimic hormones produced in the gut to suppress a person’s appetite and regulate their blood sugar.
But larger and longer studies will need to confirm the effect of those drugs on addictive behaviors.
Let’s dive into the data.
Researchers recruited people ages 21 to 65 who reported symptoms of alcohol-use disorder but weren’t actively seeking treatment for it. Patients with diabetes and those who have previously used a GLP-1 or other weight loss medications were excluded from the study.
The patients spent two hours in a lab room stocked with their preferred alcoholic beverages – once before they started taking any drugs in the study, and once after to see what had changed. Around half of the people took low doses of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, and half received placebo shots weekly for nine weeks.
They also reported their drinking habits and desire for alcohol throughout the study.
Results suggested that Ozempic injections decreased weekly alcohol cravings, cut the average number of beverages consumed on drinking days and led to greater reductions in heavy drinking days when compared to the placebo. Notably, Ozempic’s effect on curbing several drinking outcomes appeared to be greater than what is often seen with existing medications that aim to reduce alcohol cravings.
By the second month of the study, people who took Ozempic were drinking 30% less on average on days they consumed alcohol. That compared to an average reduction of about 2% in the placebo group.
Nearly 40% of people who took Ozempic reported no heavy drinking days in the second month of treatment, compared with 20% in the placebo group.
The study authors noted that they used the two lowest clinical doses of semaglutide in the trial. Higher doses of the drug would “presumably yield greater effects on alcohol reduction,” they added.
“These data suggest the potential of semaglutide and similar drugs to fill an unmet need for the treatment of alcohol use disorder,” senior author Klara Klein of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said in a statement. “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.”
Among a small subgroup of people who smoked, those who took Ozempic had significantly greater reductions in average cigarettes per day compared to those in the placebo group. That suggests Ozempic may reduce both alcohol and nicotine use.
Eli Lilly plans to study whether its weight loss drugs can help treat addictive behaviors like alcohol and drug abuse. The company has said it will start large-scale clinical trials in 2025.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Latest in health-care tech: Primary care doctors are concerned about patients accessing GLP-1s through third-party telehealth providers, survey says
A box of Ozempic and contents sit on a table in Dudley, North Tyneside, Britain, October 31, 2023.
George Frey | Reuters
As demand for blockbuster GLP-1 weight loss drugs has skyrocketed in recent years, some patients have turned to digital health companies like Hims & Hers Health, Ro, Sesame and Noom to access the medications. Primary care physicians don’t think it’s such a good idea.
Metabolic health startup Omada released a survey of more than 2,000 primary care physicians last week that assessed their attitudes toward GLP-1s and various treatment plans. By and large, the doctors said they are concerned about third-party telehealth providers.
Less than 20% of physicians surveyed said they would be comfortable with patients using third-party telehealth providers to access GLP-1 medications. Two-thirds of respondents said they agree that accessing the prescriptions through a third-party telehealth provider could put patients’ health at risk.
“That was alarming, I didn’t even think it would be that high,” Omada President Wei-Li Shao told CNBC in an interview.
Omada does not prescribe GLP-1s, but the company offers a companion program that supports patients who are taking the medications. It also aims to help patients maintain their weight loss if they decide to stop taking the drugs.
The company found that primary physicians are mainly worried about third-party telehealth providers for two reasons: overprescribing and continuity of care. In other words, they’re concerned patients could access GLP-1s when it is not clinically appropriate, and that they might not receive the support they need through additional touch points like follow-up visits.
Additionally, many of the doctors surveyed are on the fence about the role of compounded GLP-1s, which are custom-made alternatives to brand-name drugs designed to meet a specific patient’s needs. Compounded medications can also be produced when brand-name treatments are in shortage.
The FDA doesn’t review the safety and efficacy of compounded products, but they can serve as alternatives to branded medications for patients who are navigating complex supply hurdles and spotty insurance coverage.
Around 45% of physicians surveyed said compounded GLP-1s are not going to be a long-term supply strategy, though they agreed that they can be helpful for addressing current shortages. And 30% of respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed that they are comfortable prescribing compounded GLP-1s.
“Patients or people that are searching for solutions are confused,” Shao said. “What our position has been is talk to your doctor, talk to your primary care doctor, who knows you, knows your history, knows what you’ve been on, and knows what your goals are, and has a perspective on what is the right treatment in partnership with you.”
Read the full report here.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
Health plans grapple with costs of new sickle cell gene therapies
It has been just over a year since the FDA approved sickle cell gene therapies. But in some ways the breakthrough drugs are still waiting to launch to treat patients at scale.
With more than half of sickle cell patients covered by Medicaid, expanding coverage for sickle cell therapies could be difficult. States are already facing high medical costs in the joint program with the federal government, and are bracing for potential funding cuts in Congress. Private insurers are facing higher medical costs, too.
CVS Health CEO David Joyner told me private and government health plans alike are looking at new ways to manage the costs of breakthrough gene therapies.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Bertha at bertha.coombs@nbcuni.com.