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Weight-loss injections slash alcohol cravings and curb heavy drinking by almost half, new research revealed.
The JAMA Psychiatry study showed a weekly jab of semaglutide, also known as brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, cut the amount people drink in a day by about 40 per cent.
Up to 48 people with a drinking problem who had not been actively seeking treatment were recruited for the study.
They all had alcohol use disorder, which can include the inability to stop or control drinking despite negative consequences.
But with weekly doses of the drug, the group saw a 41 per cent reduction in the alcoholic drinks they consumed, as well as alcohol cravings dropping by about the same figure.
The study backs up anecdotal evidence from patients and doctors that semaglutide can lead to a sudden loss of longing for alcoholic drinks, researchers said.
Dr Stephen Burgess, from the University of Cambridge, said: “This is a small study, but an exciting one.
“It provides evidence that semaglutide treatment can reduce alcohol consumption, similar to how it has been shown to reduce food consumption and consequently body weight.
“The likely mechanistic pathway is by dampening brain cues that prompt an individual to crave both food and alcohol.”
The study comes after UK figures published last week showed deaths from alcohol have reached a record high.
Some 10,473 deaths were registered in the UK in 2023 which were the direct consequence of alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease. This was 4 per cent higher than the year before.
On the NHS, people can access Ozempic for treating diabetes or Wegovy for weightloss if they meet certain criteria.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, added: “We welcome any new research developments to help people with alcohol use disorders.
“While the evidence on the efficacy of these new drugs remains limited, we do have decades of robust research showing how to help people with alcohol problems and prevent alcohol harm more broadly by tackling the affordability, availability and marketing of alcohol.
“We continue to urge the Government to fulfil their promise to focus on prevention, which will always be better, and cheaper, than a cure.
“Further research on the drug’s mechanism of action might also help to grow our understanding of the cause of alcohol dependence, which blights the lives of so many people, their families and their communities.”
