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Research study to determine if popular weight loss drugs could help alcohol addiction, liver disease and obesity and save NHS millions of pounds
- Four year £2.7million research study will investigate if Semaglutide (known as Wegovy) can help patients with both alcohol dependency and obesity.
- Research is co-led by University of Plymouth, University Hospitals Plymouth, the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Aim is to develop a treatment for alcohol-related liver disease
- Alcohol use is one of the UK’s leading causes of death, costing the NHS £5 billion each year, and harmful drinking is the country’s main cause of liver disease.
Scientists hope a weight loss drug already being used to treat obesity and diabetes could also benefit patients impacted by alcohol dependence and obesity, two of the biggest causes of liver disease.
Semaglutide (also known as Wegovy) works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, and has been shown to slow digestion and suppress appetite – now researchers believe it could be used to help people with alcohol dependency, obesity and liver disease.
The four-year CURB (Controlling Unhealthy Relationships with Both alcohol and obesity) project is being funded by a grant of more than £2.7million from a UKRI Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) partnership. It will be co-led by the University of Plymouth, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Nottingham.
Working with other UK partners, they will assess whether semaglutide does indeed reduce alcohol consumption in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), obesity and liver disease.
If the trial is successful, it is hoped the drug could change the way alcohol-related liver disease and obesity are treated, helping to guide future care in the UK and beyond.
Alcohol use is one of the UK’s leading causes of death, costing the NHS £5 billion each year, and harmful drinking is the country’s main cause of liver disease. About half of those living with alcohol-related liver disease are obese, and the combination of alcohol consumption and obesity can speed up liver damage and death.
Professor Ashwin Dhanda, Professor of Liver Medicine at the University of Plymouth and an Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, said: “We have an obesity epidemic in the UK. Clinicians see patients who are dependent on alcohol and are obese every day. But there is currently no treatment that targets obesity and alcohol use at the same time. From existing research, we believe semaglutide has the potential to do that, improving the health and quality of life for tens of thousands of people and their families.”
Professor Guruprasad Aithal, Deputy Director and Director Designate of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC); Nottingham – hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust – added: “The combination of alcohol and obesity act together to speed up liver damage and death in patients, and both these conditions are difficult to treat with current medicines or counselling.
“Building on previous NIHR research, we are bringing together our experts in alcohol and obesity to look at a new way to treat both conditions at the same time.
“It is very important that we seize this opportunity to try to address this epidemic of liver disease, which comes at a tremendous human cost in terms of its impact on both patients and their families.”
Starting in September 2026, the CURB trial will recruit 268 people with alcohol dependence, obesity and chronic liver disease from diverse backgrounds across England, Wales and Scotland.
Participants will receive either semaglutide or a placebo treatment over the space of 36 weeks, allowing researchers to see whether the drug can reduce alcohol use and lead to improvements in weight loss, liver health and quality of life.
The project has been shaped with input from – and will continue to be guided by – people who have lived experience of alcohol dependence, helping to make sure it is practical, inclusive and focused on participants’ needs.
Apollos Clifton-Brown, Director of Health and Social Care at Framework, an East Midlands based charity which is the lead provider of Nottingham Recovery Network, Nottingham City's substance use treatment service, said:
“Alcohol and obesity are leading causes of preventable death in the UK. For people experiencing both, the impact on their health is rapid and severe. Whilst services are designed to treat one problem or the other, they struggle to halt the cumulative liver damage caused when these two conditions combine.
“As a provider of substance use treatment services, we welcome innovative research into what works for people experiencing complex health problems; this study provides a unique opportunity to do exactly that."