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.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Novo Nordisk Faces Political Heat Over Weight-Loss Drug Prices Ahead Of Elections, Yet 'The Real Issue Is With The Middlemen'.
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.
- Amgen's Rocatinlimab Has Commercial Potential Despite Competitive Landscape, Says Goldman Sachs.
Image via Shutterstock
一項研究比較了索馬魯肽與其他抗糖尿病藥物和其他GLP-1RA（包括利拉魯肽和度拉魯肽）與合併2型糖尿病（T2D）和阿片類藥物使用障礙（OUD）患者服用阿片類藥物過量風險的關係。
諾和諾德A/S（紐約證券交易所代碼：NVO）semaglutide分別以Wegovy和Ozempic的名義上市，用於減肥和糖尿病，利拉魯肽以Saxenda和Victoza的名義出售。
另請閱讀：獨家：Novo Nordisk在選舉前因減肥藥價格而面臨政治熱議，但是 「真正的問題在於中間人」。
禮來公司（紐約證券交易所代碼：LLY）的度拉魯肽以Trulicity的名義上市。
美國藥物過量死亡人數仍然高得驚人，2023年估計有107,543人死亡，主要死於阿片類藥物。
儘管事實證明，治療阿片類藥物使用障礙（OUD）的藥物在降低藥物過量風險方面具有有效性，但只有大約25％的OUD患者接受了治療，近一半的人在六個月內停止了治療。這凸顯了對替代OUD療法的迫切需求。
在動物研究中，常用於治療2型糖尿病和肥胖的胰高血糖素樣肽-1受體激動劑（GLP-1RAs）已被證明可以調節多巴胺獎勵途徑並減少藥物獎勵，包括海洛因。
此外，傳聞報告和研究表明，索瑪魯肽可以減少對藥物的渴望，併爲酒精和尼古丁使用障礙提供治療益處。
這些發現促使人們調查索瑪魯肽是否有可能幫助預防OUD患者服藥過量。
與其他抗糖尿病藥物（包括其他GLP-1RA）相比，在爲期1年的隨訪中，Semaglutide與阿片類藥物過量的風險明顯降低，HR值介於0.32至0.58之間。
陰性對照結果顯示各組之間沒有差異。該更新預示着這種轟動一時的糖尿病藥物可能有新的用途。
研究人員指出，結果需要其他數據資源和研究人群的驗證。有必要進行進一步的研究以調查潛在的機制，並且必須進行隨機臨床試驗以證實對OUD的臨床影響。
該研究使用了來自33,006名患者的六年（2017年12月至2023年6月）的數據。
今年早些時候，美國的一項綜合研究表明，使用Ozempic和Wegovy與自殺念頭風險增加無關。
價格走勢：在週三的最後一次支票中，NVO股價上漲1.16％，至126.90美元，LLY股價下跌0.05％，至924.01美元。
- 高盛表示，儘管競爭激烈，但安進的Rocatinlimab仍具有商業潛力。
圖片來自 Shutterstock
