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Review
. 2025 Mar;136(3):e70004.
doi: 10.1111/bcpt.70004.

Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alcohol Use Disorder

Mette Kruse Klausen  1 , Gitte Moos Knudsen  2   3 , Tina Vilsbøll  2   4 , Anders Fink-Jensen  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alcohol Use Disorder

Mette Kruse Klausen et al. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

In the search for novel treatment strategies for alcohol use disorder (AUD), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) approved for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity have caught much attention. GLP-1 is a naturally occurring peptide produced in the small intestines and the brain, regulating plasma glucose levels and satiety. This focused review will report on the preclinical studies, case stories, register-based cohort studies, brain-imaging data and secondary analysis of clinical data supporting the role of GLP-1RAs as a novel treatment of AUD. Several clinical trials are ongoing, examining the potential effects of the GLP-1RA semaglutide in AUD.

Keywords: AUD; GLP‐1; alcohol use disorder; fMRI; glucagon‐like peptide‐1.

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Conflict of interest statement

M.K.K. has no conflict of interest. G.M.K. has received personal honoraria from H. Lundbeck, Sage Biogen and Sanos and serves as chair for SIAB in HBP (personal honorarium). T.V. has been part of speaker's bureaus, served on scientific advisory panels, served as a consultant to and/or received research support from Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Gilead, AstraZeneca, Mundipharma, MSD/Merck, Novo Nordisk and SunPharmaceuticals. A.F.‐J. has received an unrestricted research grant from Novo Nordisk to investigate the effects of GLP‐1R stimulation on metabolic disturbances in patients with schizophrenia treated with antipsychotics and serves on an advisory panel for Novo Nordisk (no honorarium).

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The dopamine synapse. Note: The dopamine synapse with its presynaptic and postsynaptic terminal of a dopamine neuron. Dopamine is synthesised in the presynaptic terminal. After the release into the synaptic cleft, it binds to postsynaptic or presynaptic receptors. The free synaptic dopamine, which does not bind to the dopamine receptor, is then broken down or recycled into the presynaptic neuron by the dopamine transporter (DAT), where it is repacked into vesicles by the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) or catabolised.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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