A new study suggests that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, could potentially become a new alternative treatment for opioid use disorder. The data adds to growing evidence that GLP-1 drugs may have health benefits beyond regulating blood sugar and promoting weight loss.
Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic may decrease the risk of opioid overdose s in certain patients, according to a new study. The results suggest semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic , could potentially become a new alternative treatment for opioid use disorder, which could help address the ongoing opioid epidemic.
The data adds to growing evidence that a highly popular class of diabetes and obesity treatments called GLP-1s may have health benefits beyond regulating blood sugar and promoting weight loss.The active ingredient in Ozempic, semaglutide, was associated with a"significantly lower" opioid overdose risk than other diabetes medications in people diagnosed with both Type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder, said the paper published in JAMA Network Open.in 2017. There are currently three effective medications to prevent overdoses from opioid use disorder, but a new alternative is needed because some patients simply don't use them, said lead study co-author Dr.of patients with opioid use disorder received recommended medications for it, and many discontinued treatment within six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics says opioids are a factor in The study results also add to mounting evidence that a highly popular class of diabetes and obesity treatments called GLP-1s may have several health benefits beyond regulating blood sugar and promoting weight loss. Novo Nordisk, its rivaland independent researchers have been racing to study those drugs' potential in patients with chronic conditions ranging from kidney disease and sleep apnea to addictive behaviors such as nicotine and alcohol use. In the study released Wednesday, researchers from Case Western Reserve University and the National Institutes of Health analyzed the electronic records of nearly 33,000 patients who were prescribed semaglutide or other diabetes medications between December 2017 and June 2023. The study was not funded by Novo Nordisk.Around 3,000 people were prescribed semaglutide injections, while the remaining patients received treatments that ranged from insulins to older GLP-1s for diabetes. That includes dulaglutide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's drug Trulicity, and liraglutide, which is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Victoza. Researchers monitored how many opioid overdose cases occurred in patients during a one-year period after they stopped treatment with semaglutide or other drugs. For example, there were 42 cases of opioid overdose among a group of patients that received semaglutide, compared with 97 cases among another group that received insulins, according to the study.FTC sues drug middlemen for allegedly inflating insulin pricesGilead says its twice-yearly shot cut HIV infections by 96% in trial More research, specifically clinical trials that randomly assign patients to receive semaglutide or other treatments, is needed to confirm how much Ozempic and other GLP-1s can help those with opioid use disorder, according to the study authors. Those randomized studies can also determine whether those treatments are beneficial to the general opioid use disorder population or only certain patients with the condition. "The extent to which GLP-1 medications could benefit treatment of opioid use disorders and help prevent overdoses is unclear," Dr. Nora Volkow, lead study co-author and director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health, said in a statement to CNBC."The preliminary findings from this study point to the possibility that GLP-1 medications may have value in helping to prevent opioid overdoses."Here are the stocks that win when the Fed cuts rates with no recessionBrett Favre tells Congress he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's
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