Clinical pathology selected abstracts
June 2025—Semaglutide is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist medication that has FDA approval for treating diabetes and obesity and that has shown exceptional efficacy. A rapid increase in use of this drug has been accompanied by reports of reduced alcohol use and cravings during semaglutide treatment. Alcohol use is a leading modifiable cause of morbidity and mortality and accounts for four to five percent of disease burden and 2.6 million deaths per year globally. Alcohol is also associated with increased risk of common diseases, including cardiovascular and liver disease and cancers. It is estimated that approximately 29 and 11 percent of U.S. adults meet lifetime and past-year criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD), respectively.