Kyle Simmons

Anecdotal claims first appeared last summer that the obesity 'wonder' drug, whether taken as a daily pill or injection, was also reducing the taste for alcohol among those prescribed it for weight loss. Since those beneficial effects were confirmed in animal experiments, human clinical trials are now underway. The Semaglutide Therapy for Alcohol Reduction (STAR) study by researchers at Oklahoma State University in the United States, in which 80 people who are abusing alcohol or who are alcohol dependent will be injected with semaglutide or placebo injections every two weeks.

Although Ozempic has dominated the US market for being touted as a miracle weight loss treatment, scientists are now curious if it can also be used to treat other health disorders, such as alcoholism, heroin use, and even dementia. Despite a string of adverse side effects, the semaglutide injection, which is approved for use in diabetics for lowering blood sugar levels, has soared in popularity as an off-label weight loss treatment.