Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects hundreds of millions of people globally and drives enormous disease burden through liver damage, heart disease, cancer, and injury. Effective medications exist but are dramatically underused, and research is focused on better pharmacological options and more accessible treatment delivery.
What's actually going on in research
GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide are showing striking reductions in alcohol cravings and consumption in trials, opening a new drug class for AUD. The combination of naltrexone and bupropion is being studied as an approach targeting both reward and impulse control circuits. Novel GABA modulators and neuroactive steroids are in trials for treating acute withdrawal and reducing relapse risk.
GLP-1 agonists for AUD
Semaglutide and other GLP-1 receptor agonists are reducing alcohol consumption in early trials. Large head-to-head trials are now testing how well they work for maintaining abstinence or reducing heavy drinking.
GABA and neurosteroid drugs
New drugs modulating GABA-A receptors — including neuroactive steroids related to brexanolone — are being tested for alcohol withdrawal and craving reduction.
Digital and integrated treatment
App-based contingency management and remotely delivered behavioral therapy combined with medication are being tested to dramatically expand access to evidence-based AUD treatment.
What to know before you search
Eligibility requires an AUD diagnosis meeting specified severity criteria, often a minimum number of drinking days per week, and typically a willingness to reduce or abstain from alcohol.
What types of trials are currently open
- Medication trials — Testing new or repurposed drugs for craving reduction, relapse prevention, and withdrawal management.
- Behavioral therapy trials — Comparing therapy modalities, digital delivery, and combined medication-plus-therapy approaches.
- Harm reduction trials — Testing strategies that reduce alcohol-related harm even in people not pursuing abstinence.
- Liver disease trials — Testing AUD treatment integrated with alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis management.
- Observational studies — Tracking drinking patterns, treatment-seeking, and recovery trajectories over time.
Recently added Alcohol Use Disorder trials
Systematic Examination of Health Inequalities: Documentation, Patterns, and Determinants
The existence of social inequalities is a major global issue and a salient challenge for the European Union. During COVID-19 pandemic, health disparities became more evident. Indeed, the low-income residents in several European countries, including Greece, had limited access to the healthcare system for several reasons. In addition, vulnerable populations, with patients suffering from opioid use disorders and incarcerated individuals being among them, do not have the same chances regarding health services, compared to the general population. According to the World Health Organization, physical activity is a key non-pharmaceutical intervention for both prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases and address of social health inequalities. Thus, this study will focus on specific population groups of the Region of Thessaly, Greece, who have limited access to healthcare services. It aims, primarily, to the assessment of demographic characteristics (i.e., body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking, educational level etc), which are fundamental parameters for the assessment of health inequalities. Secondly, quality of life, physical activity levels and biomarkers in the level of Biochemistry (i.e., blood oxidative stress and inflammation) and Physiology (i.e., cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition) will be collected a well. All data will be integrated into an interactive digital platform that will be accessible by any putative stakeholder in the area of health system or administration. Based on scientifically robust data and evidence-based findings, the research team of the project will draft recommendations and guidelines that will be communicated to all stakeholders. To that end, the problem of limited access to health system that the examined populations face, will be highlighted and targeted actions and policies are expected to be adopted by local (i.e., in the province of Thessaly) and national (i.e., Greek) authorities. In this respect, non-pharmaceutical interventions and guidelines will be proposed towards the trajectory of holistically approaching the issue of health inequalities.
Implementation Facilitation Pilot for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in Alcohol-associated Liver Disease (ALD)
The goal of this project is to improve provision of integrated medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) with brief counseling for patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) in hepatology clinics. There are many benefits of AUD treatment among patients with AUD and ALD such as reduction in liver-related complications and hepatology clinicians providing this care in an integrated fashion can improve access and uptake.
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