Previous studies have shown that the substance semaglutide - found in the diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy - also reduces alcohol consumption in humans. Now, researchers at the University of Gothenburg have also been able to show that the active substance in Mounjaro, tirzepatide, reduced both alcohol intake and relapse-like behaviors in rats and mice.
This has a slightly different approach because it affects two signaling systems, so you would expect the effect to be a little stronger and for there to be slightly fewer side effects, says Elisabet Jerlhag, professor of pharmacology, who is leading the study.
The study shows that tirzepatide attenuates alcohol's effects on dopamine, which is an important signaling substance in the brain's reward system that contributes to alcohol being perceived as rewarding.
Are different medications needed?
Jerlhag says that studies are now also being conducted on tirzepatide for other conditions. If you go to the doctor for high blood pressure, there are different drugs to try.
Alcohol dependence is a very heterogeneous disease, people drink for many different reasons. Everyone may respond a little differently to these drugs. Therefore, it is extremely important that there are many different drugs, and with our research we contribute to the development of knowledge.
No study with tirzepatide on humans has yet been conducted - but, according to Jerlhag, there is evidence supporting comparisons between rats and humans in addiction research.
In addition, the pharmaceutical company behind Mounjaro, Eli Lilly, is recruiting for two large clinical studies on patients with alcohol dependence.
How likely is it that tirzepatide will produce the same results in humans?
It will take a while before we know how it works, but since semaglutide has worked in people with alcohol dependence and they are in the same drug class, there is great hope that it will work, says Jerlhag.
Looking for help for something else
Other types of treatments for alcohol addiction, such as twelve-step programs and CBT, will still be needed, Jerlhag emphasizes - but there will always be people who need pharmacological treatment.
I think there will be many people who will be helped by it, including people who may be primarily seeking help for other reasons - such as obesity.
Alcohol dependence is a chronic brain disease in which the reward system is altered. This means that alcohol cravings can persist even when the person wants to quit and the risk of relapse is high.
The disease affects both physical and mental health and is linked to increased risk of liver disease, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety, among other things. It also carries significant social and economic costs.
The medications available today work differently for different people and the effect is often moderate.
Source: University of Gothenburg
