Overview
- CU Anschutz published an eight‑week, double‑blind randomized trial on July 29 showing that 50 adults with moderate‑to‑severe alcohol use disorder who took oral semaglutide had significantly fewer heavy drinking days and drank less on days they drank than those on placebo.
- The study used an escalating oral dose (3 mg daily for four weeks, then 7 mg daily for four weeks) and found improvements in heavy drinking days, drinks per drinking day, alcohol‑related problems, WHO drinking risk level, and days of cannabis use.
- Not all endpoints improved: the trial’s primary laboratory measure—cue‑elicited craving—and average drinks per day did not differ significantly between the groups, highlighting mixed signals that need confirmation in larger samples.
- Oral semaglutide was generally well tolerated with mostly mild side effects and high adherence, and investigators chose a pill formulation to improve acceptability compared with weekly injections for some patients.
- Larger, longer studies are already launching to test efficacy, dosing and safety, including the VA’s CRAVE trial that began recruitment for a 24‑week injectable semaglutide study enrolling more than 600 veterans, and regulators must review evidence before semaglutide can be approved for AUD.