Published Aug 4, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT
The trial is taking place at 18 VA facilities, with the GLP-1 receptor semaglutide at the center of the research.
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Published Aug 4, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT
There are more than 400,000 national veterans diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD). A new federal clinical trial is examining whether mainstream GLP-1s can help reverse the trend. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on July 30 announced a new trial to evaluate the efficacy of semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist used to treat diabetes, as treatment for AUD that is estimated to impact roughly 11% of U.S. adults. GLP-1s have become mainstream across all segments of society, with prescription drug names like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound becoming ubiquitously recognized for helping slow digestion and reduce appetite—effectively contributing towards positive long-term weight management. They have traditionally been used to mimic natural gut hormones to lower diabetes risks. The VA's focus on semaglutide is based on studies showing how it could affect parts of the brain related to how the body experiences rewards. In March 2026, a study was published in the National Library of Medicine finding that the use of GLP-1 "receptor agonists" was consistently associated with reduced risks of developing various substance-use disorders and further treating them.
