Boxes of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy are seen at a pharmacy in London, Britain, March 8, 2024.
Hollie Adams | Reuters
A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions.
Another study shows that blockbuster GLP-1 drugs may offer health benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss.
This time, further research shows that they can significantly curb addictive behavior.
Drugs such as Novo NordiskThe popular diabetes injection Ozempic can reduce drug and alcohol abuse by about half, according to a new study published last week in the journal Addiction. This suggests that Ozempic and similar drugs may represent a new treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorders.
“This study not only contributes to the evolving landscape of substance use treatment, but also opens up possibilities for more comprehensive and effective treatment strategies for those affected by the two disorders,” the study authors wrote.
Here's why this is important.
More tools are needed to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States, which was declared a public health emergency in 2017. In 2021, an estimated 2.5 million people ages 18 and older in the United States had an opioid use disorder, but only 22% received medication to treat it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, opioids account for approximately 72% of overdose deaths in the United States.
According to a 2023 national survey, nearly 29 million people ages 12 and older suffered from an alcohol use disorder last year. Excessive alcohol consumption is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States About 178,000 people die from it each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Let’s dive into the new data.
Researchers at Loyola University Chicago examined the electronic health records of more than 500,000 people with a history of opioid use disorder, 8,000 of whom were taking either GLP-1 or similar treatments called GIPs, such as: Eli Lilly's weight loss treatment Mounjaro. Mounjaro mimics GLP-1 and another gut hormone called GIP to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar, while Ozempic only targets GLP-1.
The study found that people who took GLP-1s or GIPs had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdoses than those who didn't. Similarly, an analysis of more than 5,000 people with a history of alcohol dependence who took these treatments found a 50% lower rate of intoxication than those who did not take them.
The results are no surprise. This is consistent with other studies showing the potential of GLP-1 and GIP to reduce substance-dependent behaviors such as alcohol and nicotine consumption. Other research has also shown promise in treating kidney failure, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer's disease and obstructive sleep apnea.
Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy also received US approval in March because it reduces the risk of serious cardiovascular complications in adults with obesity and heart disease.
However, more research is likely needed to confirm the new study's findings. Researchers have called for more clinical trials in which patients with a substance use disorder are randomly assigned a GLP-1 or a placebo to confirm the potential treatment benefits of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
We'll continue to monitor what other research comes out in this area, so stay tuned to our coverage.
Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
The latest in healthcare technology: Tech companies talk about the future of AI in healthcare
This is Ashley reporting live from Las Vegas.
I've spent the last few days on the exhibit floor at the HLTH health technology conference. Companies like Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Google and more than 12,000 other industry leaders met there this year.
This was my second time, and while there's a certain irony in walking through smoke-filled casinos to get to meetings about the future of healthcare, it's a helpful way to find out what technologies are exciting the industry.
As I predicted in my reporting on Sunday, generative AI dominated my discussions, much like it did last year. However, the focus was less on the promise or potential of the technology and more on practical, near-term use cases for the technology. If you're still skeptical about whether healthcare systems are taking AI seriously, the answer is undoubtedly yes.
Vendors want AI tools that deliver real returns to their business, both in terms of cost savings and efficiency. You are not prepared to wait a long time until the first results become visible. Vendors are also looking for guidance on how to effectively evaluate and implement the hundreds of solutions that have just come to market. And investors are asking increasingly difficult questions about what a viable business model for a healthcare AI company actually looks like.
A big focus has been on how AI could help reduce the mountains of documentation that doctors and nurses are responsible for, which is a leading cause of burnout in the industry. This has been a hot topic all year, so it wasn't a surprise to me. For example, Microsoft, Google, GE HealthCare, and Amazon have all introduced new tools to address the problem.
“Primary care has always been burdened with administrative tasks. This is ubiquitous in healthcare, but it is particularly acute in primary care,” said Dr. Andrew Diamond, chief medical officer at Amazon's primary care company One Medical, told CNBC. “AI promises enormous potential to automate or streamline much of this work.”
But while AI for administrative burnout was certainly popular, other issues emerged as well. For example, there has been a lot of talk about AI agents that can help users answer questions, automate processes, and perform specific tasks. Several companies are also working on AI tools that can help identify and optimize relevant clinical trials for patients. Both Microsoft and GE HealthCare announced early-stage tools for these areas.
AI won't transform the industry overnight, but I've been told time and time again that innovation is moving quickly – especially by the standards of healthcare, which has a reputation for being slow to adopt new technologies.
These companies are trying to tackle complex problems, but there was a real optimism. Vendors, large incumbent tech companies, and startups all seem to agree that AI is here to stay, and they clearly intend to use it.
Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.caroot@nbcuni.com.
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