A study compared the association of semaglutide vs other antidiabetic medications and other GLP-1RAs, including liraglutide and dulaglutide, with opioid overdose risk in patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes (T2D) and opioid use disorder (OUD).
Novo Nordisk A/S' (NYSE:NVO) semaglutide is available as Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss and diabetes, respectively, and liraglutide is sold as Saxenda and Victoza.
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Eli Lilly And Co's (NYSE:LLY) dulaglutide is available as Trulicity.
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. remain alarmingly high, with an estimated 107,543 fatalities in 2023, primarily due to opioids.
Despite the proven effectiveness of medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) in reducing overdose risk, only about 25% of individuals with OUD receive treatment, and nearly half discontinue it within six months. This highlights the urgent need for alternative OUD therapies.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, have been shown to modulate dopamine reward pathways and reduce drug rewards, including heroin, in animal studies.
Additionally, anecdotal reports and studies have suggested that semaglutide may reduce drug cravings and offer therapeutic benefits in alcohol and nicotine use disorders.
These findings prompted an investigation into whether semaglutide could potentially help prevent overdoses in OUD patients.
Semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk of opioid overdose during a 1-year follow-up compared with other antidiabetic medications, including other GLP-1RAs, with HRs ranging from 0.32 to 0.58.
The negative control outcome showed no difference between groups. The update signals a potential new use for the blockbuster diabetes medications.
The researchers noted that results need validation from other data resources and study populations. Further research is warranted to investigate the underlying mechanisms, and randomized clinical trials are necessary to corroborate the clinical effects on OUD.
The study utilized six years of data (between December 2017 and June 2023) from over 33,006 patients.
Earlier this year, a comprehensive U.S. study revealed that the use of Ozempic and Wegovy is not associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts.
Price Action: NVO stock is up 1.16% at $126.90, and LLY stock is down 0.05% at $924.01 at the last check on Wednesday.
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