Do obesity drugs treat addiction? Huge study hints at their promise

"The consistency of effect across multiple substances, which have different mechanisms of action, was quite a revelation. The study's large number of participants is unique and allowed researchers to evaluate the effect of GLP-1 drugs on the risk of several substance-use disorders."

"We have our patients telling us, 'I don't feel like I want to smoke anymore. I don't really have the interest in drinking anymore.' There's no question this is real and there are responders. But, so far, we don't have a really robust, randomized, controlled clinical trial."

"The findings, published today in The BMJ, come from an analysis of electronic health records from more than 600,000 people in the database of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). For those already dealing with addiction, the treatments are linked to a 50% reduction in the risk of dying from substance abuse."

A large study analyzing electronic health records from over 600,000 veterans found that GLP-1 medications, primarily used for obesity and type 2 diabetes, may help prevent addiction to drugs including alcohol, cocaine, and opioids. For individuals already struggling with addiction, these treatments were associated with a 50% reduction in substance abuse-related death risk. The consistency of effects across multiple substances with different mechanisms of action was notable. While clinical observations and small trials support these findings, researchers emphasize that larger randomized controlled trials are necessary to definitively establish whether GLP-1 drugs can effectively treat substance-use disorders.

Read at Nature