Now, one type of weight-loss medication is proving helpful with another health issue. In a study published Feb. 12 in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers report that semaglutide, better known as Ozempic or Wegovy, helped people with alcohol addiction reduce their craving and drink less.

Compared to the people who got a placebo, those who received Ozempic said they drank fewer drinks at home. They also drank less in the lab at the trial’s end. A bonus: smokers smoked fewer cigarettes, too.

A new study (the first clinical trial of its kind) has shown that the GLP-1 agonist semaglutide — known by the brand name Ozempic — may help reduce not only alcohol cravings, but the amount of alcohol consumed when someone on the drug does drink

The data, published in JAMA Psychiatry, add to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for addictive disorders.

But when averaging the number of drinks only on the days alcohol was consumed, the reduction was greater in the Ozempic group. And over time, there was a greater reduction in heav

For years, people taking Ozempic or other drugs in the same class for diabetes and weight loss have noticed the medicines don’t just curb their desire to eat; for some, they also lead them to drink less alcohol.

"The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder." His team published its findings Feb. 12 in JAMA Psychiatry.