Weight loss jabs are being touted as the modern-day panacea for all our ills. The latest claim is that they could help with drug and alcohol addiction. From the FT:
Ozempic and similar products cut opioid and alcohol abuse by up to half, according to research that adds to evidence of the hugely popular blockbuster drugs’ broad potential beyond tackling obesity and diabetes.
An analysis of more than 500,000 people with a history of opioid-use disorder showed that more than 8,000 participants who were separately prescribed so-called GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic, had a 40 per cent lower rate of opioid overdose than those who did not.
In the more than 5,000 participants suffering from alcohol abuse and using a GLP-1 drug, there was a 50 per cent lower rate of intoxication than for those without a prescription.
The study, published in the journal Addiction on Thursday, is the latest effort to find medicinal ways to combat addiction. It will provide further understanding of the ever-growing potential uses of GLP-1s and boost hopes of tackling the US opioid epidemic.The findings “provide significant initial evidence that GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide are associated with reduced rates of overdose and intoxication in patients with opioid and alcohol use disorders”, said Fares Qeadan, associate professor of biostatistics at Loyola University Chicago and a lead researcher for the paper.
The GLP-1 receptors that Ozempic activated to stimulate insulin production and slow food passing through the stomach were also present in the brain’s reward system and were linked to cravings, Qeadan added. Researchers are also exploring GLP-1 effects on nicotine addiction and alcoholism in clinical trials.
Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk is conducting a study into how a new experimental GLP-1 combining semaglutide with another compound, cagrilintide, could be used to treat alcohol use in patients with liver disease. The Danish company is also exploring whether semaglutide can tackle degenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, in a sign of the wide-ranging potential drugmakers believe the drugs have.
The wonder drug has led to Novo Nordisk becoming Europe’s most valuable company with a valuation of $521 Billion. If the drug is useful for other ailments, expect that market cap to hit over a trillion.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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