An Oral Ozempic Pill Cut Heavy Drinking Days in a 50-Person Trial, but Not Cravings

A 50-person randomized trial at the University of Colorado Anschutz found that adults with alcohol use disorder who took a daily pill form of semaglutide, the molecule behind Ozempic and Wegovy, reported fewer heavy drinking days than those on placebo, though the drug did not reduce self-reported cravings or lower their average drinks per day over the eight-week study (CU Anschutz release).

The trial, published this week in The American Journal of Psychiatry (APA alert), is among the first prospective randomized studies to test the oral formulation against problem drinking. Semaglutide is sold by Novo Nordisk as Ozempic and Wegovy, but the trial was academic, not industry-sponsored (Neuroscience News). Participants in the treatment arm started at 3 milligrams per day for four weeks, then moved to 7 milligrams per day. The placebo arm reported more heavy drinking days on average, and the semaglutide group also reported fewer alcohol-related negative consequences (News-Medical).

Craving scores, measured by a standard alcohol-craving scale, did not separate from placebo. Average drinks per drinking day and average drinks per day during the study period were also not significantly different. The lead author, Joseph Schacht, has been studying why GLP-1 drugs might change drinking behavior without changing the urge to drink.

Three medications are approved for alcohol use disorder in the United States: naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. A once-daily oral option would be more accessible than weekly injectables if larger trials confirm the signal (Gizmodo). Independent replication, longer follow-up, and side-effect data still need to be established.