Weight loss jabs 'could help reduce alcohol intake'

People with alcohol problems may benefit from taking weight loss jabs, experts say after a study found Wegovy can help curb drinking habits.

Alcoholics given semaglutide reduced alcohol consumption, had fewer heavy drinking days and saw a reduction in alcohol cravings, researchers found.

The study, led by researchers in Denmark, assessed semaglutide - which is sold under the brand Wegovy for weight loss treatment and Ozempic for patients with type 2 diabetes - among 108 obese patients seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder.

All were given talking therapy and then half received a dummy drug, also known as a placebo, and the other half were given 2.4mg of semaglutide over 26 weeks.

At the start of the trial people involved with the study, which took place at a health centre in Denmark, had an average of 17 days of heavy drinking over the 30 days before the start of the trial.

People who were given semaglutide for six months saw the number of heavy drinking days reduce to roughly five over the previous 30 days, compared to nine days among those who had the placebo.

Overall alcohol consumption also reduced more among those taking semagultide compared with those taking the placebo.

At the start of the trial, participants had an average of approximately 2,200g of alcohol over the previous 30 days, which decreased over six months to an average of 650g among those taking semaglutide and 1,175g for those taking the placebo, according to the research team, led by the Mental Health Centre Copenhagen and Frederiksberg Hospital.

Professor Anders Fink-Jensen, principal investigator of the study, said: "The results suggest that semaglutide not only affects appetite but also influences the biological mechanisms underlying addiction.

"This opens the door to complementing existing treatments for alcohol use disorder with a GLP-1 receptor-targeted approach."

First author Dr Mette Kruse Klausen added: "This is a patient group with a high disease burden and a substantial risk of both physical and mental complications.

"Reducing the most harmful drinking patterns could make a meaningful difference for patients."

In a linked commentary, also published in The Lancet, academics from the US said: "The importance of evaluating GLP-1 therapies as new therapeutic options for alcohol use disorder cannot be overstated.

"Should forthcoming studies confirm efficacy of GLP-1 therapies for alcohol use disorder across a broad range of populations and settings, public health implications could be substantial - a possibility that deserves celebration."