Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor Agonists can effectively control Alcohol Use Disorder, finds study
A recent study found that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists like semaglutide and liraglutide are effective in reducing hospitalization due to alcohol use disorder (AUD) as per a trial that was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
Harmful use of alcohol is a global burden both economically and healthcare-wise. Psychological treatments are the main line of management of this. However, pharmacological management can also be used to reduce the harmful usage of alcohol. Research shows that Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists that are used to treat diabetes and obesity can also be used to treat alcohol use disorder. Hence researchers conducted a study to investigate the potential of GLP-1 agonists as a treatment for reducing alcohol-related harms.
This observational cohort study used real-world data from Swedish registries. The data was collected from registers of inpatient care, specialized outpatient care, sickness absence, and disability pension. Participants were all residents aged 16 to 64 with a diagnosis of AUD. A cohort of 227 886 individuals were followed up from AUD diagnosis to death, emigration, or end of data linkage. The main exposure was GLP-1 agonists, which were exenatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, and semaglutide. The secondary exposure was the use of AUD medications. Hospitalization due to AUD was the primary outcome of measurement while hospitalization due to substance use disorder, somatic reasons, and suicide attempts was the secondary outcome of measurement. Cox regression models with fixed effects were used to calculate the within-individual risk of an outcome associated with use vs nonuse of pharmacotherapies.
Findings:
- The cohort included 227 866 individuals with AUD of which 144 714 (63.5%) were male and the remaining (36.5%) were female.
- The cohort's mean (SD) age was 40.0 (15.7) years, and the median (IQR) follow-up time was 8.8 (4.0-13.3) years.
- A total of 133 210 individuals (58.5%) experienced AUD hospitalization.
- Semaglutide (4321 users) and liraglutide (2509 users) were associated with the lowest risk of both AUD and SUD hospitalization.
- AUD medications were associated with a modestly decreased risk.
- Semaglutide and liraglutide use were also associated with a decreased risk of somatic hospitalizations but not associated with suicide attempts.
Thus, the study concluded that semaglutide and liraglutide were associated with a substantially decreased risk of hospitalization due to AUD and can be effectively used in the management of alcohol use disorder.
Further reading: Lähteenvuo M, Tiihonen J, Solismaa A, Tanskanen A, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Taipale H. Repurposing Semaglutide and Liraglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online November 13, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3599
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