Growing evidence indicates that the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) system is involved in the neurobiology of addictive behaviours, and GLP-1 analogues may be used for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) (1):
- in animal models, the GLP-1 analogue semaglutide decreased alcohol intake across different drinking models and species and modulated central GABA neurotransmission
In a retrospective cohort study of electronic health records of 83,825 patients with obesity (2):
- was shown that semaglutide (compared with other anti-obesity medications) was associated with a 50%-56% lower risk for both the incidence and recurrence of alcohol use disorder for a 12-month follow-up period
- consistent reductions were seen for patients stratified by gender, age group, race and in patients with and without type 2 diabetes
- similar findings were replicated in the study population with 598,803 patients with type 2 diabetes
Reference:
- Chuong V et al. The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue semaglutide reduces alcohol drinking and modulates central GABA neurotransmission. JCI Insight. 2023 Jun 22;8(12):e170671.
- Wang, W., Volkow, N.D., Berger, N.A. et al. Associations of semaglutide with incidence and recurrence of alcohol use disorder in real-world population. Nat Commun15, 4548 (2024)