From offering a viable solution to the obesity pandemic and its comorbidities to reducing the demand for ResMed’s continuous Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy devices that are used to treat the symptoms of sleep apnea, it is hardly surprising that GLP-1 drugs currently constitute one of Wall Street’s biggest thematic investment ideas for the ongoing decade. Even so, researchers continue to discover new use-cases for these miracle drugs, with the latest such discovery centering on alcohol addiction control.
A Primer On GLP-1 Drugs
The GLP-1 hormone suppresses hunger and regulates the production of insulin and glucose. After a meal, this hormone raises the level of insulin, which decreases blood glucose levels. Simultaneously, it reduces the rate at which the stomach empties its contents into the small intestine, creating a feeling of fullness and satiation in the process. While initially billed as a treatment for diabetes, many of the drugs that utilize GLP-1 agonists are now sold as a dedicated anti-obesity palliative option.
Estimated global weight loss drug sales:
2030: $93.8 billion
2029: $77.9 billion
2028: $63.7 billion
2027: $48.6 billion
2026: $35.4 billion
2025: $24.6 billion
2024: $14.8 billion
2023: $6.3 billionSource: Bloomberg Intelligence
— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) June 22, 2024
Novo Nordisk uses semaglutide as its proprietary GLP-1 agonist in drugs that are marketed under Ozempic and Wegovy labels, with the former geared toward type-2 diabetes and the latter marketed as a treatment for obesity.
While Novo Nordisk currently has a number of additional GLP-1 drugs in the pipeline, including those that can be ingested and those that leverage both GLP-1 and Amylin agonists to offer better efficacy, Wegovy and Ozempic remain the company’s primary offerings for now to treat obesity and diabetes.
New Study: The Semaglutide GLP-1 Agonist Can Significantly Reduce Alcohol Intake
1/ GLP-1s WILL HELP YOU KICK ALCOHOL! 🍻
(If you are a vervet monkey 🐒….for now)Effect of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide on alcohol consumption in alcohol-preferring male vervet monkeys
Average daily alcohol intake (g/kg/4 hours) at week 6,… pic.twitter.com/cNHcZl5fmO
— BowTiedBiotech 🧪🔬🧬 (@BowTiedBiotech) June 22, 2024
This brings us to the crux of the matter. Given the positive effects of the GLP-1 agonists in reducing nicotine addiction, a group of researcher recently tried to investigate the hormone’s effectiveness in controlling alcohol consumption.
The researchers injected a randomized group of male vervet monkeys with either “escalating doses” (up to 0.05 mg/kg) of the semaglutide GLP-1 agonist or a placebo twice weekly for two weeks. While the monkey had access to alcohol for 10 days prior to the start of the treatment, no alcohol was available during these two weeks of treatment. Thereafter, over the following 20 working days, researchers re-introduced alcohol while continuing the twice weekly administration of semaglutide and the placebo.
According to the results of this study, semaglutide-treated monkeys drank significantly less alcohol in comparison to the control group following the study’s two-week alcohol drought period.
Of course, this study only focused on our mammalian cousins and the GLP-1 agonists might not be as effective in controlling alcohol addiction in humans. It does, however, open a new vector for researchers to explore.
Dr. Debi Johnson is a medical expert and health journalist dedicated to promoting well-being. With a background in medicine, she offers evidence-based insights into health trends and wellness practices. Beyond her reporting, Dr. Debi enjoys hiking, yoga, and empowering others to lead healthier lives.
