Ozempic and similar drugs for diabetes and weight-related conditions were associated with a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose and 50% lower rate of alcohol intoxication in people with opioid and alcohol use disorders, a new study showed.
“Our study suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which are traditionally prescribed for diabetes and obesity, may offer additional benefits for patients with opioid and alcohol use disorders,” Fares Qeadan, PhD, MS, associate professor of biostatistics at Loyola University’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, told Healio. “These findings hint at the potential for GLP-1RAs to serve as adjunct therapies in managing substance use disorders (SUDs).”
According to Qeadan, there are several barriers to standard treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) such as stigma, limited access and adherence issues.
“Adding GLP-1RAs as an option could provide a valuable, complementary approach that is possibly more acceptable to some patients,” he said. “This broader therapeutic application could help reduce cravings and the risk of severe outcomes, including overdose and intoxication, which are critical issues in SUD management.”
For the retrospective cohort study, Qeadan and colleagues examined deidentified electronic health records pulled from the Oracle Cerner Real-World Data — a database that includes more than 130 health care systems and 100 million patients in the United States.
The current analysis comprised of 503,747 adults with an OUD history and 817,309 adults with an AUD history who received care from January 2014 to September 2022.
The researchers evaluated the incidence of opioid overdose in patients with OUD and alcohol intoxication in patients with AUD, comparing outcomes among those who were exposed to glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) agonists and GLP-1RAs vs. those who were not.
Qeadan and colleagues defined exposure as having a first prescription for at least one GIP/GLP-1RA, including Tanzeum (albiglutide, GSK); Trulicity (dulaglutide, Lilly); Byetta (exenatide, Lilly); Victoza and Saxenda (liraglutide, Novo Nordisk); Adlyxin (lixisenatide, Sanofi); Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk); and Mounjaro (tirzepatide, Lilly).
The researchers found that patients who were prescribed a GIP/GLP-1RA had significantly lower rates of opioid overdose in patients with OUD [adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 0.6; 95% CI, 0.43-0.83) and alcohol intoxication in patients with AUD (aIRR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4-0.63) compared with patients with OUD and AUD who were not prescribed a GIP/GLP-1RA.
When Qeadan and colleagues adjusted the analysis based on comorbid conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity, they found similar results.
Additional research is needed to confirm the findings in diverse populations and the “mechanisms through which GLP-1RAs impact addiction-related behaviors,” Qeadan said. This, he added, should include research that investigates how GIP/GLP-1RAs affect reward processing, cravings and other neurobiological processes related to addiction.
“Alternative approaches, such as using GLP-1RAs to break the cycle of multitype addictions, could lead to significant advances in SUD treatment,” Qeadan said. “While the evidence remains preliminary, our findings contribute to a growing body of research suggesting that GLP-1RAs may influence reward-related pathways in the brain. The consistency of results across studies — including our real-world data analysis, preclinical studies and small-scale clinical trials focusing on addiction behaviors like opioid cravings, cigarette smoking and alcohol use — supports the hypothesis of a true therapeutic effect.”
Reference:
Ozempic (and similar medications) may be the new treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorder. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1061144. Published Oct. 17, 2024. Accessed Oct. 17, 2024.
