GLP-1 receptor agonists linked to reduced alcohol and substance use disorder hospitalizations during treatment in T2D patients.

Globally, alcohol use disorder (AUD) contributes to 5% of annual deaths, highlighting an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Existing treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs), including AUD, often fall short, leaving significant gaps in care. Emerging preclinical and initial human data suggest that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), primarily used for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, may also reduce substance use. This study investigates the potential of GLP-1 RAs to mitigate AUD and SUD-related hospitalizations, addressing a critical gap in understanding their impact on addiction-related outcomes.

This within-individual observational study utilized Swedish national registers, focusing on 167,026 residents of Stockholm County diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 2005 and 2024. Researchers compared periods of exposure to GLP-1 receptor agonists or DPP-4 inhibitors against unexposed periods within the same individuals. The primary outcomes were hospitalizations related to alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder. Fixed-effects Poisson regression models were employed to calculate rate ratios (RRs) for hospitalizations, also examining two post-exposure windows (days 1-182 and 183-364) to assess effects after discontinuation.

The study included 167,026 individuals with type 2 diabetes, with a mean age of 63.98 years (SD 13.77). Of these, 96,133 (57.6%) were males and 70,893 (42.4%) were females. A total of 1,559 (0.9%) individuals experienced at least one alcohol use disorder-related hospitalization, while 2,008 (1.2%) had at least one substance use disorder-related hospitalization. During the study period, 41,109 (24.6%) individuals received GLP-1 receptor agonists, and 23,666 (14.2%) received DPP-4 inhibitors. The abstract indicates that 308 (0.7%) of those receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists had at least one alcohol-related hospitalization during treatment. The specific rate ratios (RRs) for hospitalizations during and after GLP-1 RA exposure, which represent the core findings, were not provided in the truncated abstract.