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Research Breakthrough

Research

Health researchers findings on GLP-1 drugs make national headlines

A PARKINSON School of Health Sciences and Public Health study drew national attention in October.

Loyola’s researchers uncovered promising findings that medications such as Ozempic, often prescribed for diabetes and weight loss, may also help people struggling with addiction.

According to the study published in Addiction, the official journal of the Society for the Study of Addiction, individuals taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Ozempic) with opioid use disorder (OUD) experienced a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose, while those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) saw a 50% reduction in alcohol intoxication.


40%

According to the Parkinson study, individuals with opiod use disorder taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Ozempic) experienced a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose.

“Our goal was to explore different and alternative ways of treatment to help break the chain of addiction.” Fares Qeadon, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health

The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, NPR, ABC, and The Hill, among others, reported on Loyola’s findings.

The study, which included over 1.3 million patients (approximately 500,000 with a history of OUD and 800,00 with a history of AUD), analyzed de-identified electronic health record data from the Oracle-Cerner Real-World Data research database.

“I started seeing the statistics and thought, ‘If drugs like Ozempic can address food addiction, which is often perceived as more manageable, could they also influence more severe forms of addiction, like opioid or alcohol use?’ ” said Fares Qeadan, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and lead researcher of the study. “The underlying mechanism behind addiction, whether for food, gambling, internet use, shopping, or drugs, could be the same.”