DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A popular drug known for weight loss will soon be tested to treat alcohol use disorder, and some local veterans will be part of the trial.
The random selection of veterans who will participate has not even started, but a number of veterans at the Atlanta VA Hospital have already told doctors they want in.
“We’re very excited for our patients for this data to come out,” mental health specialist Dr. Beck Bradley said.
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Bradley says a diabetes drug to treat veterans with alcohol use disorder could be groundbreaking.
According to the VA, more than 400,000 veterans nationwide are suffering from alcohol use disorder.
“This is the first new medication for alcohol use disorder treatment. I wanna say in a couple of decades that we’re exploring here,” Bradley said.
Endocrinologist Dr. Mary Rhee said several veterans in metro Atlanta are already taking a GLP-1 like Ozempic or Wegovy for diabetes and other reasons. She told Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes those patients are reporting that they’re drinking less alcohol.
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For that reason, she says she welcomes a 25-week trial of the drug.
“It might just be reducing the reward that they feel when they drink alcohol, but it’s not really clear at this point, the exact mechanism. They just don’t seem to have that craving as much,” Rhee said.
More than 600 veterans will be randomly selected from 18 different VA systems across the country.
“We have lots of people calling, and so we’re glad they’re calling,” Rhee said.
If the trial goes well, the drug could be available to anyone dealing with alcohol use disorder.
Recruitment begins Oct. 19.
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