Researchers at UTHealth Houston have received a $2.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the effects of semaglutide on cocaine use disorder. The grant will fund a four-year project aimed at exploring new treatment options for individuals struggling with cocaine addiction.
Luba Yammine, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, associate professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and Joy Schmitz, PhD, professor in the same department, are serving as co-principal investigators. The research team also includes Francesco Versace, PhD, professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Cocaine use disorder is a persistent public health issue in the United States. According to data from the American Addiction Center, about 1.3 million Americans aged 12 and older are affected by this condition. Currently, there are no Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for treating cocaine use disorder; behavioral therapy remains the primary approach.
The upcoming study builds upon earlier research led by Yammine that showed a combination of GLP-1RA and nicotine patch therapy could improve smoking abstinence. These findings led Yammine and Schmitz to investigate whether semaglutide, a GLP-1RA drug, could also be effective in reducing cocaine use.
“We think that semaglutide can help decrease the rewarding effects of stimulants such as cocaine,” Yammine said. “Let’s say you experience pleasure or enjoyment from using cocaine. If you take semaglutide, you may experience less of that enjoyment, which would decrease the motivation to use cocaine.”
The study will be a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants with cocaine use disorder will be randomly assigned to receive either once-weekly semaglutide or a placebo. Approximately half of the participants will receive semaglutide and half will receive the placebo. All participants will also take part in individual cognitive behavioral therapy sessions.
Researchers will assess outcomes using self-reported and biochemically confirmed cocaine use. Participants will also undergo electroencephalogram (EEG) tests to evaluate brain responses to cocaine-related cues. This approach aims to provide insights into how semaglutide may affect neural processes related to addiction. The study will also look at whether semaglutide reduces cravings for other substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana. Assessments will take place before treatment and after 14 weeks of treatment.
“If we can decrease how rewarding cocaine is, and the craving in someone’s head, we think they’ll have a better chance of responding to treatment and recovering from their addiction. This would work hand in hand with behavioral treatments. Current behavioral interventions for managing cocaine use disorder, including contingency management and cognitive behavioral therapy, can be effective but do not work for all patients,” said Schmitz, who is also director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction at McGovern Medical School and holds the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Distinguished Professorship.
The trial will be conducted at the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction at UTHealth Houston.
