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Eli Lilly (LLY), the pharma giant that produces the popular weight-loss drug Zepbound, said it plans to test obesity medications as a treatment for alcohol and drug addiction starting next year.
The news comes as the body of evidence suggesting that Zepbound and other GLP-1 weight-loss medications could help people with substance use disorders continues to grow.
“These medicines, we think and we’ve aimed to prove, can be useful for other things we don’t think about connected to weight. These are often called anti-hedonics, so they are reducing that desire cycle,” said Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks Tuesday at The Economic Club of Washington D.C., STAT News reported. “Next year, you’ll see Lilly start large studies in alcohol abuse and nicotine use, even in drug abuse.”
Zepbound belongs to the class of drugs known as GLP-1 or incretin medications, which was made popular by Ozempic, Novo Nordisk’s diabetes treatment. These drugs mimic hormones that interacts with a region of the brain – the mesolimbic system – to reduce appetite and trigger satisfaction after eating. Demand for these medications has turned Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly into the largest pharma companies in the world.
“Lilly continues to evaluate future development options for its medicines but has not announced development plans for the potential use of GLP-1s for additional indications at this point in time,” a Lilly spokesperson told Quartz in an emailed statement.
There have already been several retrospective studies that have found associations between GLP-1 treatments and lower risks of alcohol and opioid abuse.
Authors of one study explained that the mesolimbic system overlaps with the brain processes that influence addictive behaviors. This overlap suggests that these medications may “modulate the reward-response pathways associated with substance use,” they wrote.
While these retrospective analyses show promise, Eli Lilly will be the first pharmaceutical company to conduct clinical trials specifically focused on addiction treatment. The company’s planned studies of obesity medications for alcohol and drug addiction, set to begin next year, mark a significant shift from the current research landscape.
Meanwhile, competitor Novo Nordisk has taken an initial step by incorporating alcohol consumption measurements into its ongoing trial of GLP-1 drugs for alcohol-related liver disease.
These trials follow other anecdotal evidence from patients and healthcare providers that suggests GLP-1 drugs can help users curb addictions. A Morgan Stanley (MS) survey from earlier this year found that people using GLP-1 drugs — among them Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound — reduced their consumption of tobacco.
The investment bank surveyed approximately 300 GLP-1 users about their consumption habits while taking the medication.
While 40% of survey respondents said they smoked cigarettes at least weekly before starting a GLP-1 treatment, that number fell to 24% after they started the treatment. Meanwhile, weekly e-cigarette usage dropped from 30% of respondents to 16% after they started taking a GLP-1.
The analysts noted they were “cautious about drawing conclusions” from their survey about the impact of GLP-1 drugs on addictive behaviors. While research hasn’t yet proven a causal link, clinical trials are currently underway to better understand the effects of GLP-1s on alcohol and tobacco consumption.
One small trial found that people with alcohol use disorder drank less after taking semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic — compared with people who took a placebo.