Weight loss pills may reduce alcohol and opioid use | Wilnesh News

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However another study Shows blockbuster GLP-1 drug may offer health benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss.

This time, more research shows they can significantly curb addictive behaviors.

drugs such as Novo NordiskPopular diabetes injection Ozempic can cut drug and alcohol abuse by about half, according to a study. new research It was published last week in the scientific journal Addiction. This suggests that Ozempic and similar drugs have the potential to become new treatments for opioid and alcohol use disorders.

“This research not only contributes to the ongoing development of substance abuse treatment, but also provides more comprehensive and effective treatment strategies for people affected by both disorders,” said the study authors. wrote.

Here’s why this is important.

More tools are needed to address America’s ongoing opioid epidemic Declaring a public health emergency 2017. 2.5 million people According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, only 22% of Americans age 18 or older had an opioid use disorder in the past year, but only 22% received medication. Opioids are a factor about 72% Number of drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the National Center on Drug Abuse Statistics.

Meanwhile, nearly 29 million people aged 12 and older suffered from an alcohol use disorder in the past year, according to a 2023 report. national survey. Excessive alcohol consumption is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, about 178,000 people According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people die from this disease every year.

Let’s dig into the new data.

Researchers at Loyola University Chicago examined electronic health data from more than 500,000 people with a history of opioid use disorder, 8,000 of whom were taking GLP-1 or a similar treatment called GIP, such as Eli Lilly and CompanyWeight Loss Treatment Mounjaro. Mounjaro mimics GLP-1 and another intestinal hormone called GIP to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar, while Ozempic only targets GLP-1.

The study found that people who took GLP-1 or GIP had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose compared with people who didn’t take GLP-1 or GIP. Likewise, an analysis of more than 5,000 people with a history of alcohol use disorders who received these treatments showed a 50% reduction in intoxication rates compared with those who did not receive treatment.

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

Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug Wegovy was also approved in the United States in March to reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular complications in adults with obesity and heart disease.

But more research may be needed to confirm the new study’s results. Researchers are calling for more clinical trials that randomly assign patients with substance use disorders to receive GLP-1 or a placebo to confirm the potential therapeutic benefits of drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

We will continue to monitor other research results in this area, so stay tuned for our coverage.

Please feel free to send Annika any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data: annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.

I’m Ashley reporting live from Las Vegas.

I’ve spent the past few days on the exhibit floor at the HLTH Healthcare Technology Conference. Companies like Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Google and more than 12,000 other industry leaders are here this year.

This is my second time attending, and while it’s a bit ironic to walk through a smoke-filled casino to attend a conference about the future of healthcare, it’s a useful way to gauge which technologies the industry is excited about.

As I predicted in my forecast In Sunday’s coverage, generative artificial intelligence dominated my discussion, just as it did last year. However, the focus is not on the promise or potential of the technology, but on its actual near-term use cases. If you’re still doubting whether health systems are serious about artificial intelligence, the answer is a resounding yes.

There is a lot of focus on how artificial intelligence can help reduce the reams of documentation that doctors and nurses are responsible for, which is a major cause of burnout in the profession. This has been a hot topic all year long, so it’s no surprise to me. Microsoft, Google, GE Healthcare and Amazon For example, everyone has launched new tools to solve this problem.

“Primary care has always been plagued by administrative tasks,” Dr. Andrew Diamond, chief medical officer of One Medical, Amazon’s primary care business, told CNBC. “This is common in health care, but it’s especially acute in primary care.” “Manpower Intelligence holds great promise for automating or streamlining large amounts of work.”

But while AI treatments for executive burnout are certainly popular, other themes are starting to emerge. For example, there is a lot of discussion about artificial intelligence agents that can help users answer questions, automate processes, and perform specific tasks. Several companies are also developing artificial intelligence tools to help identify and streamline relevant clinical trials for patients. Microsoft and GE Healthcare have both announced early tools in these areas.

Artificial intelligence won’t transform entire industries overnight, but I’m told over and over again that innovation is happening quickly—especially by the standards of health care, which is notoriously slow to adopt new technologies.

These companies are grappling with complex problems, but there is a real sense of optimism on the scene. Providers, big tech companies, and startups all seem to agree that artificial intelligence is here to stay, and they clearly intend to use it.

Please feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.