People who take semaglutide medications like Ozempic for diabetes may be at reduced risk of drug overdose, according to new research.
Prescribing semaglutide, including Ozempic and Rybelsus, was associated with lower overdose rates in patients with type 2 diabetes who had also been diagnosed with opioid use disorder, according to a study. paper Published Wednesday.
The findings add to a limited but growing body of evidence that the blockbuster drugs may be more than just appetite suppressants. Recently, a small number of studies have suggested that the drugs may help people reduce potentially harmful behaviors, including drinking and smoking.
But the paper’s authors, including researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cautioned that the link between GLP-1 drugs and the prevention of overdose deaths is “unclear” and that more research is needed. , including randomized controlled trials.
“GLP-1 drugs have transformed the clinical management of type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing associated morbidity and mortality. There is also growing evidence of their potential in the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders,” Volkow said in a statement. “Preliminary findings from this study indicate the possibility that GLP-1 drugs may have value in helping prevent opioid overdoses.”
The study was based on six years of observational data from anonymized electronic medical records. Eligible subjects were limited to patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and an opioid use disorder and prescribed semaglutide or other diabetes medications.
Overall, in a study of more than 33,000 people, semaglutide was associated with a “significantly lower” risk of opioid overdose compared with patients taking other diabetes medications, including others that also target the GLP-1 receptor.
Even if the findings are validated, however, it is unclear what implications they have for the overdose crisis and for public health more broadly.
Of the estimated two million Americans with an opioid use disorder, it’s unclear how many also have diabetes or weight-related conditions that might prompt them to seek GLP-1s — and, given the drugs’ price tag, how many have access to them might have, even if they were interested.
Furthermore, it is unclear whether people who use GLP-1s and also have an opioid use disorder are the ones taking the riskiest medications. For years, the ultra-potent synthetic opioid fentanyl has been responsible for the lion’s share of all overdose deaths in the US, while deaths from prescription opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone recently fell below 10,000 in a recent twelve-month period – a remarkable number that nevertheless pales in comparison. compared to the approximately 65,000 fentanyl deaths that occurred during the same period.
GLP-1 drugs are also known to have significant side effects. A small study earlier this year of people with opioid use disorder found that more than 50% of patients taking liraglutide, another GLP-1, were unable to complete a three-week trial due to gastrointestinal problems.
Still, medications like Wegovy and Ozempic could offer another option for patients who have difficulty accessing more traditional addiction medications like methadone or buprenorphine.
“Alternative medicines to help people treat opioid use disorder and prevent overdose are critical,” said Rong Xu, co-leader of the study and professor of biomedical informatics at Case Western. “Therefore, our findings suggest that it is important to continue studying semaglutide as a potential new treatment to combat this terrible epidemic.”
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