Could a diabetes drug curb alcohol cravings after bariatric surgery?
NCT ID NCT07223983
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This small pilot study at Yale tests whether semaglutide (a drug used for diabetes and weight loss) can help people who have had bariatric surgery and now struggle with alcohol use disorder. Ten adults will take the drug for three months and be followed for three more months to see if it reduces drinking and helps maintain weight loss. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible and worth studying in larger trials.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Provision of signed and dated informed consent form * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study (up to 6 months: 3-month treatment plus 3-month follow up) * Age 18 and older * Have a BMI ≥30 (or BMI ≥27 with a medical comorbidity) and BMI ≤50 kg/m2 * Have had laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy within the past seven years * Meet current DSM-5 criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder * Be an otherwise healthy subject without uncontrolled medical problems, as determined by the study physician and medical co-investigators * Read, comprehend, and write English at a sufficient level to complete study-related materials * For females of reproductive potential: use of highly effective contraception and agreement to use such a method during study participation Exclusion Criteria: * Any of the following: myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina, or transient ischemic attack within the past 60 days prior to screening * History or presence of chronic or recurrent pancreatitis * History of malignant neoplasms within the past 5 years prior to screening * Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 * Is currently using other medications for weight loss or other GLP-1 receptor agonists * Has a history of allergy or sensitivity to Semaglutide * Has a co-existing psychiatric condition that requires hospitalization or more intensive treatment (such as bipolar mood disorders, psychotic illnesses, or severe depression) * Has untreated hypertension with a seated systolic blood pressure \> 160 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mmHg, or heart rate \> 100 beats/minute * Has current uncontrolled hypertension * Has current uncontrolled Type I or Type II diabetes mellitus * Has untreated hypothyroidism with a TSH \> 1.5 times the upper limit of normal for the test laboratory with repeat value that also exceeds this limit * Has active gallbladder disease * Has a history of severe renal, hepatic, neurological, chronic pulmonary disease, or any other unstable medical disorder * Has a recent history of substance use disorder (with the exception of cannabis or tobacco use disorder) within the past 12 months * Is currently engaging in other treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder or making intentional efforts to quit alcohol use * Is currently participating in another clinical study in which the subject is or will be exposed to an investigational or a non-investigational drug or device * Is breast-feeding, pregnant, or not using a reliable form of birth control * Reports active suicidal or homicidal ideation * Any disorder, unwillingness or inability, not covered by any of the other exclusion criteria which, in the investigator's opinion, might have jeopardized the participant's safety or compliance with the protocol
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Yale School of Medicine
RECRUITINGNew Haven, Connecticut, 06520, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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