---
title: GLP-1 Drug Significantly Reduces Problem Drinking in Individuals with AUD, Obesity
description: Adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid obesity who took once-weekly semaglutide significantly reduced their overall alcohol consumption and heavy drinking.
---

[Psych News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org)

# [GLP-1 Drug Significantly Reduces Problem Drinking in Individuals with AUD, Obesity](https://alert.psychnews.org/glp-1-drug-significantly-reduces-problem-drinking-in-individuals-with-aud-obesity)

 Written by [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) | 5/1/26 5:04 PM

Adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid obesity who took once-weekly semaglutide significantly reduced their overall alcohol consumption and heavy drinking, according to landmark trial [results](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00305-3/fulltext) issued yesterday by *The Lancet*.

 

**Why It’s Relevant**

Alcohol is a leading contributor to mortality worldwide, and there is a pressing need for new therapeutic interventions. GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown promising results in preclinical models of alcohol addiction, as well as in analyses of health registries.

 

**By The Numbers**

- Researchers randomized 108 treatment-seeking adults ages 18 to 70 with AUD and comorbid obesity (BMI of 30 or greater) to receive subcutaneous semaglutide (up to 2.4 mg/week) or placebo for six months. Both groups were also offered cognitive behavioral therapy.
- At six months, adults taking semaglutide reported **five heavy drinking days** in the past month (from a baseline of 17 days), **compared with nine heavy drinking days** among the placebo group.
- The semaglutide group also reported significantly greater reductions over placebo in **total alcohol consumption, alcohol craving, drinks per drinking day, and on alcohol exposure biomarkers**—along with expected greater reductions in bodyweight.
- Gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, loss of appetite, constipation, vomiting, etc.) occurred significantly more frequently with semaglutide, but the researchers noted that this was generally mild and transient.

**What’s More**

Based on available data, semaglutide significantly increased the likelihood of participants achieving a two-level reduction in [risk drinking level](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2838990) (as defined by the WHO) than currently approved AUD medications such as acamprosate or naltrexone.

 

**The Other Side**

Many participants likely guessed their treatment due to the presence or absence of gastrointestinal side effects or weight loss; this led to a higher dropout rate in the placebo group and may have distorted the true treatment difference. Additional trials in non-obese patients are needed before the results can be generalized to the overall population of individuals with AUD.

 

**Takeaway Message**

The findings from this trial provide support for broadening the indication for semaglutide to AUD in patients with a BMI of 30 or higher, which could potentially benefit the 8 million individuals in the U.S. who have both obesity and high consumption of alcohol, the researchers wrote.

 

**Related Information**

“[Off-Label GLP-1 Medications Help Treat AUD](https://www.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2026.02.2.18)”

 

**Source**

Mette Kruse Klausen, et al. Once-weekly semaglutide versus placebo in patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. *The Lancet*. Published April 30, 2026. doi: 10.17632/fr522rsvyp

 

(Image: Getty Images/iStock/coldsnowstorm)

 

[View full post](https://alert.psychnews.org/glp-1-drug-significantly-reduces-problem-drinking-in-individuals-with-aud-obesity)

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