Ozempic and Wegovy, medications primarily used for diabetes management and weight loss, respectively, in curbing smoking behaviors. The active ingredient in both medications is semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that has demonstrated effectiveness in regulating appetite and glucose levels. Emerging evidence suggests that these medications may also influence nicotine addiction pathways, presenting a novel approach to smoking cessation therapies.
Ozempic and Wegovy may reduce the reinforcing effects of nicotine consumption, thereby aiding individuals in their efforts to quit smoking. This pharmacological intervention could provide an alternative for those who have struggled with traditional cessation methods.
The study authors note that the reasons individuals might be less likely to seek medical treatment for tobacco use disorder vary widely; it could suggest that their tobacco use decreased or that they’ve become less willing to seek help to quit smoking, for example.
Chicago, who was not involved in the new research.
“If I have a patient with type 2 diabetes who is on one of these agents and they do have a history of smoking, oftentimes, our visits involve a conversation about tobacco cessation,” she said. “These folks might start paying special attention to their long-term health and changing some habits because they are being treated for diabetes.”
The US Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic in 2017 to treat Type 2 diabetes in adults and Wegovy in 2021 for adult weight loss.
Type 2 diabetes — which affects more than 34 million Americans — occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin well, resulting in high blood sugar.
This new study, conducted by researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institutes of Health and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
This study wasn’t a randomised-controlled trial, which is the best form of medical evidence, and so these findings don’t definitively show that semaglutide is behind the effect, says Patricia Grigson-Kennedy at Pennsylvania State University. Still, other research shows semaglutide reduces activity in brain regions involved with reward processing and cravings, so it is possible that there could be some causal connection.
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