Diabetes drugs that show promise for alcohol use disorders

On By Pranco

TOP LINE:

Use of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists semaglutide and liraglutide is linked to a lower risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD)-related hospitalizations compared with traditional AUD medications, a new study suggested.

METHODOLOGY:

  • Researchers conducted a nationwide cohort study in Sweden from 2006 to 2023 involving more than 220,000 individuals with AUD (mean age 40 years; 64% men).
  • Data were obtained from registers of inpatient and specialized outpatient care, absenteeism and disability pension, with a median follow-up period of 8.8 years.
  • The primary exposure measured was use of individual GLP-1 receptor agonists – commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity – compared to non-use.
  • The secondary exposure examined was the use of medications indicated for AUD.
  • The primary outcome was AUD-related hospitalization; secondary outcomes included hospitalization for substance use disorder (SUD), somatic hospitalization, and suicide attempts.

TAKEAWAY:

  • Approximately 59% of participants experienced an AUD-related hospitalization.
  • Semaglutide users (n = 4321) had the lowest risk of hospitalization related to AUD (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 0.64; 95% CI, 0.50-0.83) and to any substance use disorder (aHR, 0 .68; 95% CI, 0.54-0.85). ).
  • Liraglutide users (n = 2509) had the second lowest risk of both AUD-related (aHR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.92) and SUD-related (aHR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.97) hospital admissions.
  • The use of both semaglutide (aHR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.90) and liraglutide (aHR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69-0.91) was inappropriate for somatic reasons. associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization, but was not associated with the risk of suicide attempts.
  • Traditional AUD medications showed modest effectiveness with a slightly reduced but nonsignificant risk of AUD-related hospitalization (aHR, 0.98).

IN PRACTICE:

“AUDs and SUDs are pharmacologically undertreated, despite the availability of effective treatments. However, new treatments are also needed because existing treatments may not be suitable for all patients. Semaglutide and liraglutide may be effective in the treatment of AUD, and clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm these findings,” the researchers wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Markku Lähteenvuo, MD, PhD, University of Eastern Finland, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland. It was published online on Nov 13 JAMA Psychiatry.

LIMITS:

The observational nature of this study limited causal inferences.

DISCLOSURE:

The data used in this study were obtained from the REWHARD consortium, supported by the Swedish Research Council. Four of the six authors reported receiving grants or personal compensation from various sources outside the submitted work, which are fully disclosed in the original article.

This article was created using various editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.