We continue looking at the latest headlines in the fascinating and controversial world of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Let’s go!
Coverage of weight loss drugs might be changing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering a change that would require insurers to cover obesity drugs for more than 20 million Americans under Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans. This change could expand coverage for obesity drugs, infertility treatments, and sexual dysfunction treatments, potentially impacting the market significantly.
Study finds GLP-1 med reduces opioid craving
In other news, the study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference demonstrates that the GLP-1 medication liraglutide significantly reduces opioid cravings, potentially offering a novel approach to treating opioid addiction. Among 20 patients with opioid use disorder, those on liraglutide experienced a 40% reduction in cravings over the three-week study, with the effect seen even at low doses.
Combining liraglutide with buprenorphine, another medication for opioid use disorder, further reduced cravings and mitigated gastrointestinal side effects. However, gastrointestinal distress led to a high dropout rate among participants, highlighting a potential barrier to treatment.
Despite limitations such as the small sample size and short trial duration, researchers emphasize the importance of these findings as a proof of concept and plan larger trials to confirm the efficacy of liraglutide in treating opioid addiction.
GLP-1 drugs show potential for alcoholism treatment
Christian Hendershot, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist who has been studying GLP-1s for alcohol use disorder and was not involved with the study, emphasized the importance of this data as a proof of concept and a stepping stone toward larger trials. He said:
The reason these initial findings are nice is that they looked at this question in a really controlled environment. We know that craving predicts relapses in many cases, so having established that reduction, the next question is whether drugs like liraglutide suppress craving and relapse in the natural environment…
Patricia Grigson, director of the Penn State Addiction Center for Translation, who was involved in the trial, also commented:
With one person dying every five minutes and people dying around the world due to opioid exposure, we feel a sense of urgency… I feel very hopeful; there may be a new treatment for opioid use disorder.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “Should ACA plans cover weight loss drugs?,” STATNews.com, 2/20/2024
Source: “Opioid cravings were reduced by anti-obesity drug in small study,” STATNews.com, 2/17/2024
Image by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
FAQs and Media Requests: 
