Some people are forced to use opioid drugs, they are unable to give up this habit even if they want to, but now a new research is claiming that its treatment will be possible in the future.

Opioid Use Disorder: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a complex disease in which a person compulsively uses opioid drugs, even if he wants to stop, or when the use of drugs has a negative effect on your physical and emotional well-being. However, now the possibilities of its treatment have increased. 

Research opens treatment avenues

New research on the GLP-1 receptor has opened up a realm of new treatment possibilities for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). The 3-week Phase I study, conducted at Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, USA, enrolled 20 participants undergoing residential treatment for OUD, evaluating Novo Nordisk’s Saxenda (liraglutide), a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), as monotherapy for OUD.

40% reduction in addiction

According to GlobalData, a leading data and analysis company, this study demonstrated its ability to compete with existing treatments and showed a 40% reduction in opioid cravings in those taking Saxenda. Originally developed to treat diabetes, GLP-1RAs work by stimulating insulin secretion and suppressing glucagon release, helping to control blood sugar.

"However, there are GLP-1 receptors in the brain's mesolimbic system, which is inextricably linked to motivation and reward. This has increased the interest of drug developers

who want to expand their product labels to combat the opioid crisis," said Jos Opdenakker, pharma analyst at GlobalData.

He said early clinical work has shown that GLP-1RAs are a promising new route in the treatment of OUD, as the current treatment landscape is constrained by a lack of innovation and heavy dependence on opioid agonist therapy.

more research needed

According to GlobalData's drug database, 6 of the 7 agents currently in late-stage development (Phase IIb-III) are non-opioids. Currently, there is a lack of available efficacy data for many of the pipeline agents. Therefore, despite the presence of non-opioids in the pipeline, high-efficacy non-opioid OUD treatments remain an exploitable opportunity.

In addition to OUD, GLP-1RAs are also being investigated in other neurology indications, such as treating Alzheimer's disease and related cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, alcohol dependence, peripheral neuropathy, and intracranial hypertension. Developers have recognized the potential of GLP-1RAs, and a new class of neurological agents is under development.