GLP-1 reduces heavy drinking days in treatment seeking people with alcohol use disorder and obesity, finds small trial

A trial of 108 adults with obesity seeking treatment for alcohol use finds a once-weekly semaglutide injection reduced heavy drinking days in the past 30 days by an average of roughly 12 days, 50% higher than the eight-day reduction seen in the placebo group. The study is published in The Lancet.

Alcohol use disorder accounts for 5% of deaths worldwide annually, and there is an urgent need for new treatments. This study is the first randomized controlled trial investigating if GLP-1s can reduce alcohol intake in patients with obesity who are seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder.

The trial took place at a mental health center in Denmark. All participants were offered cognitive behavioral therapy and were randomized to receive either a weekly dose of semaglutide or a placebo. At the start of the trial, patients had on average 17 days of heavy drinking over the last 30 days.

After six months, patients receiving semaglutide had an average of roughly five heavy drinking days over the previous 30 days, compared to nine days in the placebo group. Additionally, at the start of the trial, participants had an average of approximately 2,200g of alcohol over the previous 30 days, which decreased to roughly 650g/30 days with semaglutide and 1,175g/30 days with placebo after six months.

Authors highlight key limitations, including that the study is small and there was no follow-up after the trial to see if alcohol consumption changed. However, they say the study adds to the growing evidence for the use of GLP-1s in alcohol use disorder, potentially affecting millions of people, given the global rates of alcohol use disorder and obesity.