For the popular diabetes and obesity medications known as GLP-1s, addiction medicine is one of many possible promising next acts.
Eli Lilly is investigating a new drug, brenipatide, and testing it in alcohol use disorder. A new company called Baseline Therapeutics is studying a GLP-1 receptor agonist in alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine use disorders; Altimmune is testing one called pemvidutide for alcohol. Addiction medicine specialists are hopeful that the Food and Drug Administration may soon approve a new medication for alcohol use disorder — the first in two decades.
But some telehealth platforms that specialize in treating addiction aren’t waiting. In the last year, a few companies have begun to market off-label prescriptions of GLP-1s, both branded and compounded, to treat alcohol use disorder and other addictions.