Semaglutide, the key component in popular medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, may potentially help treat and prevent opioid overdoses, new research suggests.
A U.S. peer-reviewed study published on Wednesday in the JAMA Network Open journal showed that semaglutide was associated with a reduced risk of opioid overdose in patients with Type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder.
Researchers studied 33,006 patients diagnosed with both Type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder. Of these patients, 3,034 were prescribed semaglutide and the rest other diabetes medications.
“Semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk of opioid overdose during a 1-year follow-up compared with other antidiabetic medications,” the authors wrote.
They said the results of the study suggest semaglutide’s “potential therapeutic value for preventing overdoses.”
The research needs further validation with more data and study populations, but it offers some hope to patients struggling with opioid addiction.
Canada’s opioid crisis, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, has claimed thousands of lives across the country.
Since 2016, there have been more than 47,000 opioid-related deaths in Canada. Between January and March this year, 1,906 apparent opioid toxicity deaths were reported, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The majority (81 per cent) of the accidental opioid-related deaths this year have involved fentanyl.
In recent years, Canada, like other countries, has seen a high demand for medications like Ozempic, which is primarily approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes but has been used off-label for weight loss.
Wegovy, an on-label weight loss medication made by the same manufacturer and containing the same drug as Ozempic but at a higher formulation, also recently became available to Canadians.
Research has pointed to health benefits of using these drugs other than what they’re prescribed for. Some studies have also shown risks of stomach paralysis, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction as well as irreversible vision loss and blindness from using these drugs.
A study published in the Nature journal in May found that semaglutide may reduce the risk of alcohol use disorder in patients with Type 2 diabetes or obesity.
Company data released last year by Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk also showed that its Wegovy drug could have heart-protective benefits.
Early data from the Danish drugmaker’s Select trial demonstrated that Wegovy, which has been shown to help patients lose an average of 15 per cent of their weight, also reduced incidence of heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease by 20 per cent.
Semaglutide, the key ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, belongs to the GLP-1 class of drugs, which work by helping control blood sugar levels and triggering a feeling of fullness.
— with files from Reuters