San Francisco Launches First Human Trial of Semaglutide for Methamphetamine Use Disorder

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has opened enrollment in the first human clinical trial testing semaglutide — the GLP-1 receptor agonist marketed as Wegovy and Ozempic — as a treatment for methamphetamine use disorder (NCT07204249). The trial addresses one of addiction medicine’s most stubborn gaps: there are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction.

The Science Behind the Trial

GLP-1 receptor agonists were developed for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, but emerging data suggest they dampen reward signaling in ways that may reduce drug-seeking behavior. In a 2026 Frontiers in Pharmacology study, the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide significantly reduced methamphetamine self-administration in rats — though only under short-access conditions, not extended access. That caveat points to a key open question: whether GLP-1s interrupt the reward response early enough to be clinically useful in people with established methamphetamine use disorder.

Multiple GLP-1 trials are running simultaneously across other substance classes — alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and opioid use disorder — placing stimulants at the earliest evidence stage. No completed human trials for methamphetamine exist as of this writing.

Why This Matters for People in Recovery

Methamphetamine use disorder has historically been addressed primarily through behavioral interventions — contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing. These approaches work for some people, but the absence of any medication option has left clinicians without the full toolkit available for opioid or alcohol use disorder. If semaglutide shows efficacy, it could transform treatment for an estimated 1.6 million Americans with methamphetamine use disorder. Find current treatment options at rizerecovery.com/find-help.