DENVER — A weight-loss drug used to deal with weight problems and diabetes has proven promise to deal with one other dysfunction: opioid dependancy.
Early outcomes from a small scientific trial, offered February 17 on the annual assembly of the American Affiliation for the Development of Science, recommend {that a} shut relative of the weight-loss medication Wegovy and Ozempic considerably lessened cravings for opioids in individuals with opioid use dysfunction.
“For them to have any time after they could be freed from that craving appears to be very hopeful,” Patricia “Sue” Grigson, a behavioral neuroscientist at Penn State Faculty of Drugs in Hershey mentioned on the convention. The overwhelming majority of drug overdose deaths in the US are because of opioids (SN: 2/14/24).
The drug, known as liraglutide, mimics a hormone known as GLP-1 that the physique releases after individuals eat. Wegovy and Ozempic — model names for semaglutide, a molecule that induces weight reduction extra successfully than liraglutide — additionally imitate the hormone.
It’s unclear precisely how the medication work with regards to weight reduction, however researchers assume such GLP-1 dupes immediate the physique and mind to make individuals really feel full (SN: 12/13/23).
There are hints that such medication might work for dependancy, too. Individuals taking Wegovy or Ozempic have reported lessened need for not simply meals but additionally alcohol and nicotine. What’s extra, Grigson and colleagues confirmed in a earlier research in rats that liraglutide can reduce down on heroin-seeking habits, maybe by altering the animals’ mind exercise (SN: 8/30/23).
To check whether or not liraglutide may work in individuals as a therapy for opioid dependancy, Grigson and colleagues gave the drug to volunteers being handled for opioid use dysfunction on the Caron Therapy Heart in Wernersville, Pa. The crew analyzed information from 20 individuals, 10 of whom had been slated to obtain rising drug doses over 19 days. The remaining 10 individuals acquired a placebo.
At increased doses of liraglutide, sufferers dropped out of the trial largely because of gastrointestinal signs together with nausea, a recognized facet impact of those medication. Nonetheless, the therapy started lowering opioid cravings on the lowest dose, Grigson mentioned, and need for opioids was diminished by 30 p.c total.
That’s equal to the impact of about 14 days of intensive therapy at a residential middle, Grigson mentioned.
The outcomes must be confirmed in bigger trials, she mentioned. The crew additionally hopes to check out different GLP-1 medication, which can be simpler and include fewer unwanted side effects, and embrace individuals with totally different ranges of dependancy.
