A new study from Sweden suggests GLP-1 drugs may help curb alcohol abuse. GLP-1 drugs include the popular weight loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy. The new study examined the medical records of 228,000 people in Sweden with alcohol use disorder and found that those taking GLP-1 medications were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related issues. 

Dr. Markku Lähteenvuo, the study’s leader, said, “I see so many patients who do not have good outcomes on the medications we have and who are desperate for help with their addiction. We really do need more tools in the toolbox.”
Christian Hendershot, the director of clinical research at the University of Southern California Institute for Addiction Science, said, “[r]ight now we only have three FDA-approved medications to treat alcohol use disorder. This pales in comparison to medications approved to treat other diseases. … Anything we can do to study other medications, including GLP-1 agonists, is critically important for our field.”