ODRO
The new generation of weight loss drugs may not only help you give up food, but smoking too.
A study has found that people prescribed Ozempic for type 2 diabetes management were less likely to be treated for tobacco-related problems too.
The findings, which come from an analysis of more than 200,000 patients, fit in with other anecdotal evidence that drugs such as semaglutide, the trade name for Ozempic, can affect other addictions such as alcoholism.
However, the researchers who uncovered the finding, which was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, cautioned that we would need to await the results of proper trials to be sure that the drugs do help.
The latest data comes from comparing those put on different forms of anti-diabetes medication for the first time between 2018 and 2023 in the US. Of the 223,000 treated, just under 6,000 were given semaglutide.
Despite the fact that they were prescribed the medication on the basis of their diabetes, those 6,000 were less likely to visit a clinic because of their smoking. The difference was small but significant. After a year, about 20 per cent of those taking semaglutide had spoken to a doctor because of concerns about smoking, compared with 25 per cent of those on other medication.
There are several potential explanations. One is that the two groups were different — it may be that those given semaglutide were also less likely for other reasons to be smokers. It could even be that they were just as likely to smoke, but less likely to ask for help.
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“We really don’t have the data saying how many packs people smoke every day, how many people do and don’t smoke,” said Dr Rong Xu, from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio. But, she added, “Our assumption is if people go to the doctor, they have more of a problem.”
Another possible explanation is that those given the drug reduce their smoking for other reasons. One suggestion put forward by Xu and her colleagues was the slimming effects of semaglutide. Smoking suppresses the appetite, which makes some people reluctant to quit — but if people know they are also on an appetite-suppressant drug then they may be more willing to do so.
“Fear of weight gain on smoking cessation contributes to smoking and relapse,” they write.
But it is also possible that there is a genuine link at a biochemical level. This fits with growing evidence for other conditions. “We are pretty sure semaglutide hits multiple targets. For diabetes and weight loss that’s a target in the gut and pancreas. But we think semaglutide also has a target in the reward system in the brain. That controls a lot of addictions, not just for tobacco,” said Xu. Experiments in rodents have shown that they can be weaned off nicotine addiction using semaglutide.
Semaglutide was originally developed as a means of controlling diabetes, but those using it found as a side effect that they also lost weight. Since its licensing as a weight loss drug, researchers have been intrigued to find links — some now relatively well validated — to other conditions. It appears to be protective against heart disease, independently of the weight loss it induces. Another study published yesterday found it may also stave off Alzheimer’s.
If it does indeed combat smoking, the authors of the latest research said that its other known actions could be complementary.
“The fact that semaglutide leads to weight loss becomes particularly relevant because smoking cessation is associated with weight gain, which contributes to relapse, particularly in women. Moreover, because smoking impairs glycemic control and increases cardiovascular and cancer risks, the beneficial effects of semaglutide for glycemic control, and reduction in cardiovascular and cancer events, would offer additional benefits.”
