Overview
- The randomized study, published Thursday in The Lancet, assigned 108 adults with obesity and alcohol use disorder to weekly semaglutide or a placebo for 26 weeks along with psychotherapy.
- People on semaglutide averaged roughly five heavy drinking days per 30 days after six months compared with nine on placebo, and blood tests backed the reported drop in alcohol use.
- Participants receiving semaglutide also reported fewer cravings and showed weight loss and better blood sugar control, with mostly mild, short‑term stomach side effects.
- The trial was small, included mostly white participants, focused only on people with obesity, and had no post‑treatment follow‑up, so it cannot show if benefits last after stopping the drug.
- A January BMJ review found weight and heart‑risk gains from GLP‑1 drugs fade back to baseline about 17–18 months after stopping, raising practical questions about treatment length if semaglutide is used for alcohol care.