Could a diabetes drug curb opioid addiction? a trial puts semaglutide to the test

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 to 75 years. * Body mass index (BMI) \> 18. * Able and willing to provide informed consent prior to any study-related activities. * Current diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Diploma in Social Medicine (DSM)-5 Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) as per the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) or per the site clinic diagnosis. Patients are eligible if they have a MINI \> 3 ("moderate" or "severe" in the "Specify If" box in the Substance Use Disorder (Non-Alcohol) module for the category of opiates). * Currently receiving outpatient treatment for OUD and at least 2 weeks on buprenorphine (BUP) or 4 weeks on methadone at the study site and/or at an associated clinic at the time of enrollment. * Have at least 1 urine test positive for opioids after 2 weeks on BUP or 4 weeks on methadone. * Have positive self-reporting of opioid use after 2 weeks on BUP or 4 weeks on methadone. * If capable of becoming pregnant and of childbearing age, is not pregnant (confirmed) or breastfeeding at the time of enrollment and agrees to use a medically accepted method of birth control or or to abstain from sexual activity that could result in pregnancy (if applicable) while in the study. * Able to read and communicate in English to the level required to accept standard care and complete all study requirements. * Able and willing to engage/adhere to the entirety of the study protocol (19 weeks). * Not currently a prisoner. Exclusion Criteria: * Age \< 18 or \> 75 years. * BMI \<18. * Individuals who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, breastfeeding, or unwilling to use adequate contraceptive measures. * Current use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist. * History of angioedema, serious hypersensitivity reaction, or anaphylactic reaction to semaglutide or another GLP-1R agonist. * Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome Type 2 (MEN 2) or thyroid nodule. * Type 1 diabetes or history of diabetic ketoacidosis. * Type 2 diabetes mellitus or current use of a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. * Past 30-day use of Sincalide, Sulfonylureas, insulin and insulin products or other medications that may interact with semaglutide. * Hypoglycemia on intake visit (blood glucose \< 60 mg/dL). * End-stage renal failure, on dialysis, or glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \<30 mL/min per 1.73 square meters or previous renal transplant. * End stage liver disease or previous liver transplant. * Current or past diagnosis of pancreatitis, gastroparesis, or other severe gastrointestinal (GI) disease. * Current or past diagnosis of gallbladder disease or gallstones. * Serious cardiovascular disease within the past 6 months (e.g. uncontrolled hypertension, heart failure, significant cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, presence of angina pectoris, symptomatic coronary artery disease, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, second- or third-degree heart block, mitral valve or aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, stroke). * Severe co-occurring psychiatric disorder (e.g., bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, schizophrenia), and/or history or evidence of organic brain disease or dementia that would compromise safety or compliance with the study protocol in the opinion of the site principal investigator (PI) and/or physician. As there is no specific scale that determines this, this will include the Site PI/physician determining if the potential participant shows consistency in decision making and if they are alert and oriented to time, date, day and location. * Significant risk of suicide requiring a different/higher level of care, according to the clinical judgment of the study physician or site principal investigator, or history of suicide attempts within the past 1 year, unless participation is cleared by clinician assessment and/or judgment. A Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) indicating a history of suicide attempts within the past year, or active suicidal ideation within the past 1 month, will qualify as significant risk of suicide. * Treatment with any investigational drug in the one month preceding the study. * Any contraindication to both methadone and BUP. * Any contraindication to a GLP-1R agonist. * Previous randomization for participation in this trial. * Any other condition at screening that precludes safe participation in the trial in the judgment of the site PI or study physician. * Plans for travel outside of the local area over the 19 weeks (1 week of baseline, 12 weeks of medication, 1 week wash-out, and follow-up after a further 28 days) that would interfere with visits during the study period or other logistic factors that would make it difficult to commit to the entire duration of study. * Currently a prisoner.