ATLANTA, Ga. — A medication best known for treating diabetes and helping people lose weight is about to be studied for a very different use: helping Veterans cut back on alcohol.
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The Atlanta VA Health Care System is one of 18 VA sites nationwide taking part in a new clinical trial testing whether semaglutide, a drug in the GLP-1 family, could help treat alcohol use disorder.
The study comes as researchers look for new ways to help people struggling with alcohol use. More than 400,000 Veterans nationwide have been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, according to the VA.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. It works in the body to help regulate blood sugar and appetite, but researchers are also interested in how GLP-1 medications may affect the brain’s reward system.
Recent research has found that people taking GLP-1 medications had lower rates of alcohol and other substance-use disorders than people taking some other diabetes medications.
But those findings don’t prove the drugs can treat alcohol use disorder.
That’s where the new trial comes in.
The Cessation or Reduction of Alcohol Consumption in Veterans trial, known as the CRAVE trial, will enroll more than 600 Veterans between the ages of 18 and 80 who have moderate or severe alcohol use disorder.
Participants will receive a weekly injection of either semaglutide or a placebo for 24 weeks. Researchers will then track their alcohol use, health and quality of life.
The goal is to find out whether semaglutide actually helps people drink less or stop drinking.
“AUD affects many Veterans in our community, and we are proud to support research that seeks better treatments,” Atlanta VA Health Care System Director Kai Mentzer said.
Recruitment for the study is expected to begin October 19.
Veterans interested in participating can contact their local VA medical center or search for the CRAVE trial on ClinicalTrials.gov
The VA cautions that people should not start taking GLP-1 medications on their own to try to treat alcohol use disorder. Researchers are still testing whether the medications are effective for this purpose, and proven treatments for alcohol use disorder are already available through the VA.
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