{ "checked": "2026-10-26", "page": "https://jabbitapp.com/research/glp1-ozempic-wegovy-zepbound-alcohol-drinking-evidence-teardown.html", "news": { "guardian_2026_10_23_heineken": { "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/23/weight-loss-drugs-beer-sales-heineken-british-pubs-wegovy", "quotes": [ "Heineken has warned British bars and pubs that the boom in popularity of weight-loss drugs could lead to a fall in sales of beer and cider.", "could reduce the desire to drink alcohol", "fullness and fewer serves", "The document, revealed by Reuters", "We see some changes in consumption behaviour among (GLP-1) users and will continue to monitor how these behaviours evolve in 2027", "GLP-1 is one of the developments we are monitoring.", "Carlsberg told Reuters that data did not support the view that the use of weight-loss drugs affected beer consumption trends", "Diageo, has told investors that any impact from GLP-1 drugs becoming mainstream should be manageable" ] }, "nih_2026_04_30": { "url": "https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/adding-weekly-glp-1-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-further-reduces-heavy-drinking", "quotes": [ "Thursday, April 30, 2026", "enrolled 108 treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity", "participants receiving semaglutide experienced a 41.1% reduction in heavy drinking days, a 13.7% greater reduction than that of the placebo group", "Measurements of blood-alcohol biomarkers supported the self-reported-data-based findings.", "its number needed to treat (NNT) — a metric of clinical efficacy — in this study was 4.3, while the NNT of approved medications is 7 or higher", "Questions remain but this is nonetheless very encouraging", "Next, the authors would like to examine the effects of GLP-1s over a longer duration and in a larger population to confirm their findings here." ] }, "altimmune_2026_07_28_topline": { "url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326190/000132619026000044/alt-20260728xex99d1.htm", "note": "Company topline press release; not peer reviewed.", "quotes": [ "July 28, 2026", "an investigational balanced glucagon/GLP-1 dual receptor agonist", "Change from baseline in HDD/Week at Week 24 (Primary Endpoint) -2.75 (LS mean) -4.20 (LS mean) -1.45 (LS mean difference) 0.0014", "Zero HDD in Week 21 through Week 24 17.4% (8/46) 42.2% (19/45)", "Nausea 12 (24%) 22 (44%)", "Vomiting 3 (6%) 9 (18%)", "Study drug-related AEs leading to treatment discontinuation 0 (0%) 5 (10%)*", "There was one serious adverse event (SAE) (hyponatremia) in the pemvidutide arm that was deemed possibly related to treatment drug by the principal investigator.", "Results from the RECLAIM trial will be submitted for presentation at a forthcoming medical conference and for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.", "The Company plans to request an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)" ] }, "biospace_2026_09_22": { "url": "https://www.biospace.com/drug-development/lilly-presents-early-data-supporting-glp-1-gip-candidates-potential-in-depression-alcohol-use-disorder", "quotes": [ "September 22, 2026", "Topline data for both studies are expected in early 2028.", "Brenipatide is the first GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist to be investigated globally across AUD, Lilly said in its presentation.", "the RENEW-ALC-1 trial’s primary endpoint is not complete abstinence from alcohol but a change in drinking patterns" ] } }, "registry": { "clinicaltrials_gov_alcohol_x_incretin_drugs": 29, "note": "Condition 'alcohol' and intervention list of GLP-1-type drugs; includes some non-AUD studies; we did not classify every record.", "selected": { "NCT05895643": [ "COMPLETED", 108, "Psychiatric Centre Rigshospitalet", "2025-07-31", false ], "NCT05892432": [ "COMPLETED", 50, "University of Colorado, Denver", "2025-11-04", false ], "NCT05520775": [ "COMPLETED", 48, "University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill", "2024-04-12", true ], "NCT03232112": [ "COMPLETED", 152, "Anders Fink-Jensen, MD, DMSci", "2020-03-15", false ], "NCT06987513": [ "COMPLETED", 100, "Altimmune, Inc.", "2026-07-30", false ], "NCT07219953": [ "RECRUITING", 1100, "Eli Lilly and Company", "2028-04", false ], "NCT07219966": [ "RECRUITING", 1100, "Eli Lilly and Company", "2028-04", false ], "NCT06817356": [ "COMPLETED", 308, "Eli Lilly and Company", "2026-03-19", false ], "NCT07218354": [ "RECRUITING", 622, "VA Office of Research and Development", "2029-03-31", false ], "NCT07046819": [ "RECRUITING", 120, "National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)", "2027-07-30", false ], "NCT06994338": [ "RECRUITING", 42, "University of Southern California", "2026-08-31", false ], "NCT07009860": [ "ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING", 121, "Altimmune, Inc.", "2027-09-30", false ], "NCT06015893": [ "ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING", 63, "National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)", "2027-03-31", false ], "NCT05891587": [ "COMPLETED", 80, "Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences", "2025-07-30", false ], "NCT07559500": [ "RECRUITING", 176, "National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)", "2031-12-31", false ] } }, "pubmed": { "aud_query": "(\"semaglutide\"[Supplementary Concept] OR \"semaglutide\"[All Fields] OR \"semaglutide\"[MeSH Terms] OR (\"tirzepatide\"[Supplementary Concept] OR \"tirzepatide\"[All Fields] OR \"tirzepatide\"[MeSH Terms]) OR (\"liraglutid\"[All Fields] OR \"liraglutide\"[Supplementary Concept] OR \"liraglutide\"[All Fields] OR \"liraglutide\"[MeSH Terms] OR \"liraglutide s\"[All Fields]) OR (\"exenatide\"[Supplementary Concept] OR \"exenatide\"[All Fields] OR \"exenatide\"[MeSH Terms] OR \"exenatide s\"[All Fields]) OR (\"dulaglutide\"[Supplementary Concept] OR \"dulaglutide\"[All Fields]) OR \"GLP-1 receptor agonist\"[Title/Abstract]) AND \"alcohol use disorder\"[Title/Abstract]", "aud_count": 101 }, "key_trials": [ { "trial": "Exenatide, Denmark, 2022", "n": 127, "result": "Main goal missed", "design": "Placebo + CBT", "id": "36066977" }, { "trial": "Dulaglutide, Switzerland, 2023*", "n": 151, "result": "29% less alcohol", "design": "Placebo", "id": "37991022" }, { "trial": "Semaglutide, Denmark, 2026", "n": 108, "result": "Main goal met", "design": "Placebo + CBT", "id": "42070571" }, { "trial": "Pemvidutide (RECLAIM), 2026", "n": 100, "result": "Main goal met (topline)", "design": "Placebo", "id": "NCT06987513" }, { "trial": "Oral semaglutide, US, 2026", "n": 50, "result": "Main goal missed", "design": "Placebo", "id": "42522065" }, { "trial": "Semaglutide, US, 2025", "n": 48, "result": "Main goal met (lab test)", "design": "Placebo", "id": "39937469" }, { "trial": "Mazdutide (Lilly), 2025-26", "n": 308, "result": "Finished; no results posted", "design": "Placebo", "id": "NCT06817356" } ], "key_trials_note": "* Secondary analysis of a smoking-cessation trial (people who drank at baseline and completed 12 weeks). RECLAIM n is registry enrollment; results are company topline. Mazdutide n is registry enrollment.", "abstract_quotes": { "42070571": { "title": "Once-weekly semaglutide versus placebo in patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial", "journal": "Lancet", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "In a 26-week, single-centre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial", "From June 10, 2023, to Feb 4, 2025, 108 participants (53 women and 55 men) were enrolled", "Overall, 88 participants (81%) completed the full intervention.", "Semaglutide was associated with a reduction in heavy drinking days (-41·1 percentage points from baseline, 95% CI -48·7 to -33·5) compared with placebo (-26·4, -34·1 to -18·6; estimated treatment difference -13·7 percentage points, -22·0 to -5·4; p=0·0015)", "Adverse events were transient, generally mild to moderate gastrointestinal effects, and occurred more frequently in the semaglutide group.", "the Novo Nordisk Foundation" ] }, "42522065": { "title": "Oral Semaglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial", "journal": "Am J Psychiatry", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "Fifty individuals with moderate to severe AUD were randomized", "The primary outcome was laboratory-based alcohol cue-elicited craving at week 6.", "Semaglutide did not significantly reduce laboratory-assessed craving or drinks per day compared with placebo, but significantly reduced heavy drinking days", "Semaglutide reduced alcohol-related consequences at a significantly greater rate than placebo", "suggest that continued development of semaglutide for AUD is warranted" ] }, "39937469": { "title": "Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial", "journal": "JAMA Psychiatry", "year": "2025", "quotes": [ "48 non-treatment-seeking participants with AUD were randomized", "This was a phase 2, double-blind, randomized, parallel-arm trial involving 9 weeks of outpatient treatment.", "Semaglutide treatment did not affect average drinks per calendar day or number of drinking days, but significantly reduced drinks per drinking day", "justifying larger clinical trials to evaluate GLP-1RAs for alcohol use disorder" ] }, "36066977": { "title": "Exenatide once weekly for alcohol use disorder investigated in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial", "journal": "JCI Insight", "year": "2022", "quotes": [ "A total of 127 patients were enrolled.", "although exenatide did not significantly reduce the number of heavy drinking days compared with placebo", "Exploratory analyses revealed that exenatide significantly reduced heavy drinking days and total alcohol intake in a subgroup of obese patients (BMI > 30 kg/m2).", "Adverse events were mainly gastrointestinal." ] }, "40123107": { "title": "Blood phosphatidylethanol measurements indicate GLP-1 receptor stimulation causes delayed decreases in alcohol consumption", "journal": "Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken)", "year": "2025", "quotes": [ "A significant interaction between time and treatment was observed at Week 26", "the difference in PEth blood levels between the exenatide and placebo groups was not significant at earlier time points" ] }, "37991022": { "title": "Effects of dulaglutide on alcohol consumption during smoking cessation", "journal": "JCI Insight", "year": "2023", "quotes": [ "This is a predefined secondary analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the GLP-1 agonist dulaglutide as a therapy for smoking cessation.", "(n = 151; placebo n = 75, dulaglutide n = 76)", "At week 12, participants receiving dulaglutide drank 29% less (relative effect = 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.97, P = 0.04) than participants receiving placebo." ] }, "39535805": { "title": "Repurposing Semaglutide and Liraglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder", "journal": "JAMA Psychiatry", "year": "2025", "quotes": [ "The cohort included 227 866 individuals with AUD", "Semaglutide (4321 users) was associated with the lowest risk (AUD: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.50-0.83", "Use of any AUD medication was associated with a modestly decreased risk (aHR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.00).", "clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm these findings" ] }, "38806481": { "title": "Associations of semaglutide with incidence and recurrence of alcohol use disorder in real-world population", "journal": "Nat Commun", "year": "2024", "quotes": [ "In this retrospective cohort study of electronic health records of 83,825 patients with obesity", "semaglutide compared with other anti-obesity medications is associated with a 50%-56% lower risk for both the incidence and recurrence of alcohol use disorder for a 12-month follow-up period" ] }, "42456704": { "title": "Association of GLP-1 receptor agonists with alcohol use disorder-related and substance use disorder-related hospital admissions during treatment and after discontinuation: a Swedish register-based within-individual observational study", "journal": "Lancet Psychiatry", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "167 026 individuals with type 2 diabetes", "GLP-1 exposure was associated with lower rates of hospitalisations related to alcohol use disorder (RR 0·55, 95% CI 0·43-0·70)", "the association with hospitalisation rate reduction persisted during days 1-182 after discontinuation of GLP-1 receptor agonists (0·70, 0·50-0·98) but was no longer evident during days 183-364 after discontinuation (1·07, 0·71-1·63)", "Findings support clinical monitoring of substance use when GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment is stopped." ] }, "42481079": { "title": "Association between GLP-1 receptor agonists and alcohol-related hospitalisations among adults with alcohol use disorder: multi-target trial emulation study", "journal": "BMJ Open", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "A total of 40 703 adults met study criteria", "the MAUD-T2D trial (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.46) and the MAUD-obesity trial (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.47)", "initiation of newer GLP-1 RAs was associated with a lower observed risk of alcohol-related hospitalisation" ] }, "41813606": { "title": "Real-World Alcohol Use Disorder Outcomes in Patients With Concurrent Metabolic Dysfunction: GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Versus FDA-Approved AUD Medications", "journal": "Aliment Pharmacol Ther", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "GLP-1RA therapy was associated with lower 1-year AUD relapse [IRR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.73; p < 0.01]", "Patients exposed to GLP-1RA had higher BMI (35.5 vs. 30.1) and more T2DM (66% vs. 14%).", "Mortality was similar." ] }, "42423024": { "title": "Association of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Prescriptions and Alcohol Consumption in the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Cohort", "journal": "Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken)", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "Those with current GLP-1RA prescriptions had statistically significant but modestly lower AUDIT-C scores compared with those with future prescriptions (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91-0.99; p = 0.01).", "significant association with GLP-1RA prescriptions and frequency of drinking but not drinks per occasion or binge drinking" ] }, "42486225": { "title": "Alcohol Use Following GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study", "journal": "Mayo Clin Proc", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "The GLP-1RA treatment group had a greater reduction in weekly alcohol intake than the control group (-1.0 drinks/week; 95% CI -1.6 to -0.4; P =.002), which became non-significant after adjusting for weight change (P =.10)." ] }, "41506148": { "title": "Tirzepatide reduces alcohol drinking and relapse-like behaviours in rodents", "journal": "EBioMedicine", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "dose-dependently reduced voluntary alcohol consumption (P < 0.001), prevented binge (P < 0.01) and relapse-like drinking (P < 0.001)" ] }, "40699363": { "title": "Semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide attenuate the interoceptive effects of alcohol in male and female rats", "journal": "Psychopharmacology (Berl)", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "Acute administration of semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide each attenuated alcohol discrimination", "alcohol discrimination returned to control levels three days after treatment cessation" ] }, "42486217": { "title": "Therapeutic Potential of Incretin-Based Therapies for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Narrative Review of Available Clinical Evidence", "journal": "Biol Psychiatry", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "To date, only 3 randomized controlled trials have examined GLP-1RAs in AUD, showing reductions in alcohol cue brain reactivity and alcohol consumption, particularly among individuals with overweight or obesity." ] }, "42880142": { "title": "Exploring semaglutide for alcohol use disorder: A review of clinical efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms", "journal": "Addict Behav", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "No GLP-1 receptor agonist currently carries FDA approval for alcohol use disorder, and all discussed clinical applications still remain investigational.", "Current evidence remains limited by small sample sizes, brief follow-up periods, self-reported outcomes, and potential confounding from weight loss." ] }, "42144979": { "title": "GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder: A Critical Review", "journal": "Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken)", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "This yielded a total of 13 preclinical studies, 14 clinical studies, 4 published interventional trials, and 19 interventional trials in progress or completed but unpublished." ] }, "41696398": { "title": "Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in substance use disorders: A systematic review of ClinicalTrials.Gov", "journal": "Addict Behav Rep", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "Of 192 records, 33 met criteria: alcohol use disorder (n = 15)" ] }, "42395251": { "title": "Longitudinal 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (18F-FDG PET) Findings in Korsakoff Syndrome After Rapid Weight Loss During Tirzepatide Therapy: A Case Report", "journal": "Cureus", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "a 50-year-old man with obesity and chronic alcohol use disorder who developed Korsakoff syndrome in the setting of rapid weight loss temporally associated with tirzepatide therapy", "Despite intravenous thiamine replacement, cognitive deficits persisted.", "underscores the importance of nutritional assessment and consideration of thiamine supplementation when initiating these treatments" ] }, "42776095": { "title": "AGA Clinical Practice Update on the Evaluation and Management of Metabolic Dysfunction- and Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Expert Review", "journal": "Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol", "year": "2026", "quotes": [ "preliminary data suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonists may reduce alcohol cravings and consumption and improve hepatic parameters", "Medical management of patients with MetALD and moderate or severe alcohol use disorder should include use of alcohol use disorder pharmacotherapy and behavioral approaches to reduce alcohol consumption." ] } }, "conflict_statements": { "42070571": "AFJ has received an unrestricted grant from Novo Nordisk", "42522065": "Alcohol Clinical Trials Initiative, which is currently supported by Eli Lilly and Imbrium Therapeutics", "39937469": "Dr Klein reported consulting fees from Novo Nordisk outside the submitted work", "42481079": "PJR is a former employee of Truveta and a current employee of Eli Lilly. This work was conducted and submitted prior to her employment with Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly had no role in this study.", "42144979": "Dr. Kranzler is a member of advisory boards for Altimmune", "37991022": "The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.", "38806481": "The authors declare no competing interests." }, "analysis": { "note": "Jabbit analysis. Six randomized human tests of GLP-1-type drugs on drinking have reported (exenatide 2022 missed its main goal; dulaglutide 2023 secondary analysis; semaglutide 2025 lab study; semaglutide 2026 Lancet in AUD plus obesity met; oral semaglutide 2026 missed its craving goal but cut heavy drinking days; pemvidutide 2026 company topline met). All were small (48 to 151 people) and 8 to 26 weeks. Observational studies consistently link these drugs to fewer alcohol-related hospital visits, but cannot prove cause, and one found the drinking change shrank after accounting for weight loss. No GLP-1 drug is approved for alcohol use disorder; Lilly's two 1,100-person brenipatide phase 3 trials and a 622-person VA semaglutide trial are the first large tests. The Heineken warning is a business forecast reported by The Guardian citing Reuters, not evidence about health." } }