Semaglutide may be beneficial to individuals with alcohol use disorder, obesity

In treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder and obesity, semaglutide appears to help reduce alcohol consumption, as shown in a study.

The study included 108 participants (mean age 52.3 years, 51 percent male) with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity. These participants were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide 2.4 mg (n=54) or placebo (saline; n=54), administered subcutaneously once weekly for 26 weeks. All participants were also offered up to 10 45-min sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy that focused on motivation, craving, strategies, permissive cognitions, and relapse prevention regarding alcohol use. 

At baseline, the mean number of heavy drinking days was 17.2, with an overall alcohol intake of 2,200.9 g of pure alcohol over the last 30 consecutive days. Most participants (85 percent) fulfilled the criteria for severe alcohol use disorder.

A total of 88 participants (81 percent) completed the full intervention.

After the 26-week intervention, semaglutide was associated with a significantly greater reduction in the number of heavy drinking days—the primary outcome—compared with placebo (–41.1 vs –26.4 percentage points; estimated treatment difference, –13.7 percentage points; p=0.0015). The glucose-lowering drug also had substantial effects on multiple secondary alcohol-related and somatic outcomes.

In terms of safety, adverse events were temporary, including generally mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal effects, and occurred more frequently in the semaglutide group.