Feb 12 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's blockbuster

GLP-1 diabetes drug Ozempic led to improvements in some measures

of alcohol use disorder in a small trial, researchers reported

on Wednesday.

The 48 participants in the nine-week trial all had

moderately severe alcohol use disorder and were given either

once-weekly Ozempic or a placebo.

Ahead of the trial, they were invited to drink their

preferred alcoholic beverages over a two-hour period in a

comfortable setting.

In a second drinking session at the end of the trial,

participants who received treatment with Ozempic consumed

significantly less alcohol than at the first session, which was

not the case for the placebo group, according to results

published in JAMA Psychiatry.

While Ozempic significantly reduced participants' weekly

alcohol cravings, there was no significant difference between

the groups in reductions in drinking days. And the number of

drinks per day, averaged over the total number of days in the

study, was reduced to a similar extent in both groups.

But when averaging the number of drinks only on the days

alcohol was consumed, the reduction was greater in the Ozempic

group. And over time, there was a greater reduction in heavy

drinking days -- defined as four or more drinks for women and

five or more for men -- in the Ozempic group.

The results suggest the potential of semaglutide - the main

ingredient in Ozempic and Novo's higher-dose weight-loss drug

Wegovy - and similar drugs "to fill an unmet need for the

treatment of alcohol use disorder," study leader Klara Klein of

the University of North Carolina School of Medicine said in a

statement.

The popular newer diabetes and weight loss drugs are being

tested for several additional health issues, such as

cardiovascular protection and sleep apnea.

"Larger and longer studies in broader populations are

needed," Klein said of the alcohol abuse study. "But these

initial findings are promising."