A common diabetes and weight-loss medicine may also help people drink less alcohol, according to a new clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, suggest that oral semaglutide could become a promising new treatment for alcohol use disorder, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
This is especially important because very few new medicines have been developed for alcohol addiction during the past two decades.
Alcohol use disorder, often called AUD, is a long-term medical condition in which people find it difficult to control their drinking even when it causes serious problems.
It can damage the liver, heart and brain, increase the risk of injuries and depression, and place enormous strain on families and relationships.
Although counselling and several medications are available, many patients do not respond well enough, leaving doctors searching for better treatment options.
Semaglutide belongs to a group of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. These drugs were originally developed to help people with type 2 diabetes control blood sugar. They later became widely used for weight management because they reduce appetite and help people feel full for longer.
Scientists have recently wondered whether the same effects on brain reward pathways could also reduce cravings for alcohol.
In this study, researchers tested the oral tablet form of semaglutide rather than the injectable version. Tablets may be easier for many patients to accept and use regularly. The trial included 50 adults with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder who were seeking treatment.
The research followed a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, considered one of the strongest methods for testing new treatments. Participants received either oral semaglutide or a placebo for eight weeks, and neither the participants nor the researchers knew who received which treatment until the study ended.
The results were encouraging. People taking semaglutide experienced fewer heavy drinking days, drank less alcohol when they did drink, reported lower alcohol cravings and had fewer alcohol-related problems. Researchers also found improvements in overall drinking risk levels and fewer days of cannabis use.
Not every laboratory measure changed, but the overall pattern consistently showed healthier behaviour in everyday life. This suggests the medicine may have practical benefits outside research settings, where patients face real-world challenges and temptations.
The medicine was generally well tolerated. Most side effects were mild, and participants completed the study at high rates, suggesting the treatment was acceptable to those taking part.
The researchers emphasise that this was a relatively small study lasting only eight weeks. Larger and longer clinical trials will be needed before doctors can be certain how well oral semaglutide works, what dose is best and which patients benefit most. Future studies will also need to examine long-term safety and whether the benefits continue after treatment stops.
This study represents an important step toward expanding treatment options for alcohol use disorder. Its strengths include the high-quality clinical trial design and the consistent improvements across several real-world drinking measures. Its main limitation is the small sample size and short follow-up period.
Even so, the findings suggest oral semaglutide could eventually become a valuable addition to existing treatments, particularly for people who have not responded to current medications.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how alcohol affects liver health and disease progression, and even one drink a day could still harm blood pressure health.
For more health information, please see studies that your age may decide whether alcohol is good or bad for you, and people over 40 need to prevent dangerous alcohol/drug interactions.
