GLP-1s have become a household name for their role in weight loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, researchers are studying whether they could help veterans living with alcohol use disorder.<\/p>\n
The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is one of 18 VA sites across the United States participating in the new clinical trial testing semaglutide as a potential treatment for AUD.<\/p>\n
Experts say there are approximately 400,000 veterans in the U.S. who have an alcohol use disorder but a limited collection of medications for treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leading the study at the Minneapolis VA is Dr. Eric Dieperink, a psychiatrist who has spent more than two decades studying alcoholism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We’re laying the groundwork for a potentially exciting breakthrough in treatment,” Dieperink said.<\/p>\n
He said the goal is to find out whether a GLP-1 could become another tool to help veterans living with AUD.<\/p>\n
Veterans who join the 24-week study will be randomly placed into two groups. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either semaglutide or a placebo.<\/p>\n
“There are eight visits, clinical visits where we would talk about the medication, and there are some study procedures,” Dieperink said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers say the trial is not intended to replace existing treatments veterans are on, but to determine whether semaglutide could offer another option.<\/p>\n
“This is really something that is a way to help the community of people who struggle with alcohol use,” Dieperink said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The clinical trial is open to eligible veterans. Participants do not have to live in the metro or receive care at the Minneapolis VA to participate.<\/p>\n
For more information about participation, veterans can contact the Minneapolis VA at 612-467-1580 or visit ClinicalTrials.gov<\/a> and search for the CRAVE trial.<\/p>\n \n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n