Novo Nordisk is testing Wegovy against alcohol-related liver disease

Novo Nordisk will test whether its GLP-1 drugs can help people with alcohol-related liver disease, and as part of that will investigate whether the treatments will change the amount of alcohol people drink.

This appears to be the first time the company has gotten involved in research to see if the booming class of GLP-1 diabetes and obesity drugs can impact drug consumption, a question that academic researchers have explored but the pharmaceutical industry has avoided so far.

The nine-month study will try three drugs alone and in combination with placebo. The primary outcome tested is change in liver scarring or fibrosis, and one of the secondary outcomes is change in alcohol consumption. The news of the study was first reported by Bloomberg.