Could weight loss drug benefit patients living with alcohol addiction, liver disease and obesity?

A new study-co-led by the University of Plymouth, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Nottingham -- is being launched into a treatment for people impacted by liver disease, obesity and alcohol addiction. The trial will see patients treated with Semaglutide, currently used as a weight loss injection, to explore whether it can help suppress their cravings for alcohol in addition to helping them lose weight. The researchers hope that will then have a positive impact on the patients' liver disease, leading to improvements in their overall wellbeing and quality of life.

Scientists hope a weight loss drug already being used to treat obesity and diabetes could also benefit patients impacted by alcohol dependence and obesity, two of the biggest causes of liver disease.

Semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone and has been shown to slow digestion and suppress appetite – now researchers are launching a trial to explore if it could be used to help people with alcohol dependency, obesity and liver disease.

The four-year CURB (Controlling Unhealthy Relationships with Both alcohol and obesity) project is being funded by a grant of more than £2.7million from a UKRI Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) partnership. It will be co-led by the University of Plymouth, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Nottingham.

Working with other UK partners, they will assess whether Semaglutide does indeed reduce alcohol consumption in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), obesity and liver disease.

If the trial is successful, it is hoped the drug could change the way alcohol-related liver disease and obesity are treated, helping to guide future care in the UK and beyond.

Alcohol use is one of the UK’s leading causes of death, costing the NHS £5 billion each year, and harmful drinking is the country’s main cause of liver disease. About half of those living with alcohol-related liver disease are obese, and the combination of alcohol consumption and obesity can speed up liver damage and death.

Professor Ashwin Dhanda, Professor of Liver Medicine at the University of Plymouth and an Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, said: “We have an obesity epidemic in the UK. Clinicians see patients who are dependent on alcohol and are obese every day. But there is currently no treatment that targets obesity and alcohol use at the same time. From existing research we believe semaglutide has the potential to do that, improving the health and quality of life for tens of thousands of people and their families.”

Professor Guruprasad Aithal, Deputy Director and Director Designate of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC); Nottingham – hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust – added: “The combination of alcohol and obesity act in synergy to speed up liver damage and death in patients, and both these conditions are difficult to treat with current medicines or counselling. Building on previous NIHR research, we bring together our experts in alcohol and obesity to look at a new way to treat both conditions at the same time. This approach was recently considered one of the top five research priorities by a group of patients and experts. It is very important that we seize this opportunity to try to address this epidemic of liver disease, which comes at a tremendous human cost in terms of its impact on both patients and their families.”

Starting in September 2026, the CURB trial will recruit 268 people with alcohol dependence, obesity and chronic liver disease from diverse backgrounds across England, Wales and Scotland.

Participants will receive either semaglutide or a dummy treatment over the space of 36 weeks, allowing researchers to see whether the drug can reduce alcohol use and lead to improvements in weight, liver health and quality of life.

The project has been shaped with input from – and will continue to be guided by – people who have lived experience of alcohol dependence, helping to make sure it is practical, inclusive and focused on participants’ needs.