Weight loss drugs may reduce alcohol and opioid use

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still another study Shows that blockbuster GLP-1 drugs may offer health benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss.

Now, further research shows they can significantly inhibit addictive behavior.

medicines such as novo nordiskOzempic, a highly popular diabetes injection, can cut drug and alcohol abuse by about half, a researcher has announced. new research It was published last week in the scientific journal Addiction. This suggests that Ozempic and similar drugs may represent a new treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorders.

The study authors said, “This research not only contributes to the advancement of substance use treatment, but also paves the way for more comprehensive and effective treatment strategies for people affected by these two diseases.” said. I wrote.

This is why it's important.

More tools are needed to address the ongoing U.S. opioid epidemic. declared a public health emergency In 2017, in 2021, 2.5 million people According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, only 22% of people over the age of 18 in the United States who suffered from opioid use disorder in the past year received medication for treatment. Opioids are a factor Approximately 72% The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics has released the percentage of overdose deaths in the United States.

Meanwhile, a 2023 study found that approximately 29 million people over the age of 12 had an alcohol use disorder in the past year. National survey. Excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. About 178,000 people According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people die from the disease each year.

Let's take a closer look at the new data.

Researchers at Loyola University Chicago examined the electronic health data of more than 500,000 people with a history of opioid use disorder, 8,000 of whom were receiving a similar treatment called GLP-1 or GIP. Eli LillyWeight loss treatment of Mounjaro. Mounjaro mimics GLP-1 and another gut hormone called GIP to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar levels, while Ozempic targets only GLP-1.

The study found that people taking GLP-1 or GIP had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose than those not taking it. Similarly, an analysis of more than 5,000 people with a history of alcohol use disorder who received treatment for them found 50% lower rates of drunkenness than those who did not receive treatment.

The results are not surprising. This is consistent with other studies showing that GLP-1 and GIP can reduce substance-seeking behaviors such as alcohol and nicotine use. Other studies have shown it to be effective in treating kidney failure, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer's disease, and obstructive sleep apnea.

Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegoby Gained approval in the US It was announced in March with the aim of reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular complications in adults with obesity and heart disease.

However, further research may be needed to confirm the new study's results. The researchers called for further clinical trials It randomly assigns substance use disorder patients to receive GLP-1 or a placebo to confirm the potential therapeutic benefits of drugs such as Ozempic, Wegoby, and Munjaro.

We will continue to monitor what other research is published in this area, so stay tuned for more coverage.

Please feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas, and data to Annika. [email protected].

As I expected, Sunday coveragejust like last year, generative AI dominated my discussion. However, the focus was not on the promise or potential of the technology, but on practical short-term use cases for the technology. If you are still skeptical about whether healthcare systems are taking AI seriously, the answer is definitely yes.

Providers want AI tools that deliver real benefits to their organizations, both in terms of cost savings and efficiency. They don't want to wait long for results. Providers also seek guidance on how to effectively evaluate and implement the hundreds of solutions that have exploded onto the market. And investors are asking tougher questions about what a viable business model for healthcare AI companies actually looks like.

There was a huge focus on how AI can help reduce the overwhelming amount of documentation that doctors and nurses are responsible for, a major cause of burnout in the industry. This was a hot topic all year long so it wasn't a surprise to me. microsoft, google, GE Healthcare and Amazon For example, all have introduced new tools to address this issue.

“Primary care has always been plagued by administrative problems. This is pervasive in medical practice, but it's especially acute in primary care,” said John, chief medical officer of Amazon's primary care business One Medical. Dr. Andrew Diamond told CNBC. “AI has great potential to automate or streamline a huge amount of that work.”

But while AI for administrative burnout was certainly popular, other themes began to emerge. For example, there has been a lot of talk about AI agents that allow users to answer questions, automate processes, or perform specific tasks. Several companies are also working on AI tools to help identify and streamline clinical trials that are relevant to patients. Microsoft and GE HealthCare have both announced early-stage tools in these areas.

While AI won't change the industry overnight, we've been told time and time again that innovation is happening rapidly, especially by the standards of the healthcare industry, which is notoriously slow to adopt new technologies.

These companies are trying to tackle complex problems, but there was a real sense of optimism in the room. Providers, big tech companies, and startups all seem to agree that AI is here to stay, and they clearly intend to use it.

Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas, and data to Ashley. [email protected].