In a world where alcohol claims nearly 178,000 lives annually in the U.S. alone, a glimmer of hope has emerged from an unlikely source: a drug best known for treating diabetes and obesity. Semaglutide,

For years, people taking Ozempic or other drugs in the same class for diabetes and weight loss have noticed the medicines don’t just curb their desire to eat; for some, they also lead them to drink less alcohol.

A new study (the first clinical trial of its kind) has shown that the GLP-1 agonist semaglutide — known by the brand name Ozempic — may help reduce not only alcohol cravings, but the amount of alcohol consumed when someone on the drug does drink