A new study reports that Ozempic and similar medications may be able to help fight addiction. Veuer’s Matt Hoffman has the story.
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00:00The diabetes drug Ozempic has famously been applied to weight loss as well,
00:04and now researchers say it may also be able to help with addiction.
00:07According to Politico, that's the message from a new study conducted by researchers
00:11from Loyola University Chicago and published in the journal Addiction Thursday.
00:15The researchers analyzed data from over a million health records.
00:18They found that among alcoholics, patients using Ozempic or similar
00:22medications had 50% lower rates of intoxication, and among opioid addicts,
00:26patients using those medications were 40% less likely to overdose.
00:30This reinforces similar indications from a small case study published in the
00:33Journal of Clinical Psychiatry last year. At that time, ABC News chief medical correspondent
00:38Dr. Jennifer Ashton told Good Morning America that Ozempic might be helpful in addiction cases
00:43because, theoretically, it works in the brain and the reward center.
00:47However, Newsweek quotes University of Sheffield psychology professor Matt Field as saying that
00:51this new study doesn't yet provide data on whether Ozempic can be helpful
00:55beyond reducing excessive use hospitalizations.