Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) is planning to initiate a study on the potential use of GLP-1 drugs for addiction treatment.

Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) R&D head Martin Holst Lange said during an online meeting on Thursday that the company plans to conduct a study to examine how its GLP-1 weight loss/diabetes drugs can help people overcome addictions to smoking, drinking, shopping, and even nail-biting. The company's GLP-1 portfolio includes semaglutide (an injectable weight loss drug marketed as Wegovy) and Ozempic (for the treatment of type 2 diabetes). The company also received FDA approval to market semaglutide to reduce the risk of serious heart problems in overweight or obese adults and to reduce the risk of kidney disease worsening. Later-stage studies are also ongoing to test its potential to treat early Alzheimer's disease. "We will further investigate this and explore how we can help patients with GLP-1 addiction. This must be solved in a scientific way, and of course, also from a regulatory perspective, in a very strict way, so we can really see the potential of GLP-1 in this field," Lange said.