A study suggests that weight loss medications like Ozempic may help reduce the risk of overdose and alcohol intoxication in people with substance use disorders.

Drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic can cut drug and alcohol abuse by up to 50%, a study found, adding to mounting evidence that the drugs yield health benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss.

Sir Keir Starmer and his health secretary have been lauding the potential of the new generation of weight-loss drugs. Given as regular injections, the treatments – Wegovy and Mounjaro – mimic a hormone that makes people less hungry.

One of the most prominent medical developments in recent years has been the emergence of a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). The best known of these drugs is Ozempic,