Repurposing Semaglutide for the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorder
NCT07227948 · Recruiting
Last updated 2026-05-28This clinical trial tests whether the medication semaglutide, typically used for diabetes or weight loss, can help adults with cocaine use disorder by measuring brain responses to images.
What this study is testing ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07227948 ↗
Description as written by the study sponsor.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of cocaine use disorder (CUD). This project is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative (https://heal.nih.gov/).
Treatments tested
- Semaglutide Drug
Participants will receive 14 weekly injections administered subcutaneously. Semaglutide will be initiated at a dose of 0.25 mg once weekly. After 4 weeks, the dose will be increased to 0.5 mg once weekly for an additional 4 weeks. Thereafter, the dose will be increased to 1 mg once weekly for 6 weeks
- Placebo Drug
Sterile saline (0.9%) will serve as the placebo for semaglutide and will be administered subcutaneously once-weekly for 14 weeks. The placebo will be administered in the same blinded manner as semaglutide and will be volume-matched.
- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Behavioral
Participants will receive fourteen weekly 1-hour sessions of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), an evidence-based behavioral therapy platform for evaluating pharmacotherapy for CUD. CBT focuses on (1) identifying situations that precipitate drug use and (2) preventing relapse by teaching cognitive and behavioral skills to reduce risk.
| Main thing measured | Amplitude of the Late Positive Potential (LPP) in microvolts in response to visual stimuli on the Picture Viewing Task. |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston |
| Conditions studied | Cocaine Use Disorder |
| GLP-1 drugs | semaglutide |
Full protocol, eligibility, and contacts on ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07227948 ↗