“While the evidence on the efficacy of these new drugs remains limited, we do have decades of robust research showing how to help people with alcohol problems and prevent alcohol harm more broadly by tackling the affordability, availability and marketing of alcohol.
The findings showed that semaglutide injections reduced the amount of alcohol people drank in the lab setting, “with evidence of medium to large effect sizes for grams of alcohol consumed”.
The study, the first of its kind, found that a weekly dose of semaglutide decreased the amount of alcohol consumed daily by approximately 40%, alongside a dramatic reduction in the desire for alcohol.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: “We welcome any new research developments to help people with alcohol use disorders.
Furthermore, weekly alcohol cravings dropped by around 40%, while there were also bigger reductions in heavy drinking over time compared to the placebo group.
