“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.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, added: “We welcome any new research developments to help people with alcohol use disorders.
But with weekly doses of the drug, the group saw a 41 per cent reduction in the alcoholic drinks they consumed, as well as alcohol cravings dropping by about the same figure.
The JAMA Psychiatry study showed a weekly jab of semaglutide, also known as brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, cut the amount people drink in a day by about 40 per cent.
“It provides evidence that semaglutide treatment can reduce alcohol consumption, similar to how it has been shown to reduce food consumption and consequently body weight.
