Semaglutide May Lower Risk for Opioid Overdose in T2DM, Opioid Use Disorder

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and opioid use disorder (OUD), semaglutide is associated with a significantly lower risk for opioid overdose compared with other antidiabetic medications, according to a research letter published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Network Open.

William Wang, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues conducted an emulation target trial to compare the association of semaglutide versus other antidiabetic medications with opioid overdose risk among patients with comorbid T2D and OUD. The study included 33,006 eligible patients: 3,034 prescribed semaglutide and 29,972 prescribed other antidiabetic medications.

The researchers found that during one-year follow-up, semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk for opioid overdose compared with other antidiabetic medications, including other glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, with hazard ratios varying from 0.32 to 0.58. No difference between the groups was seen in the negative control outcome (medical encounters for congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities).

“Semaglutide was associated with reduced opioid overdose risk in patients with comorbid T2D and OUD, suggesting its potential therapeutic value for preventing overdoses,” the authors write.

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