The diabetes drug with weight loss benefits that has taken the world by storm could help people who are addicted to tobacco and have physiological problems linked to that
A new study has raised hopes that semaglutide which was originally designed as a diabetes drug and also has weight loss benefits may also be effective in disorders that are linked to tobacco use.
Researchers while reporting this finding in the Annals of Internal Medicine called for clinical trials to evaluate semaglutide’s potential for treatment of tobacco use disordersn(TUD). The study had been triggered by some initial reports of reduced urge in semaglutide users to smoke.The study compared 222 942 new users of antidiabetes medications including 5967 of semaglutide. Semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk for medical encounters for TUD diagnosis compared with other antidiabetes medications, and was strongest compared with insulins
“Semaglutide was associated with lower risks for TUD-related health care measures in patients with comorbid T2DM (Type 2 diabetes melitus) and TUD compared with other antidiabetes medications including other GLP-1Ras, primarily within 30 days of prescription,” they reported. Semaglutide is currently used as a diabetes medication and for long term weight management. It works by increasing the insulin level in the body.
The drug has become so popular that the USFDA recently brought out a warning against falsified versions of the drug.
Much about semaglutide is still being discovered with some reports suggesting that it might also help people with kidney diseases while others say its use may be linked to some rare forms of blindness.
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