Integrated medication approaches for people with both opioid and alcohol use disorders
Official title: Advancing Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Opioid and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Comprehensive Analysis of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Traditional Pharmacotherapies in Real-World Settings
Funded at Loyola University Chicago · NIH-11196080 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how combining common addiction medicines and GLP-1 receptor agonists works for people who have both opioid and alcohol use problems using large-scale medical records.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Loyola University Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Maywood, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $385,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA031890-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11196080 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with both opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder who receive care within participating US health systems are the patients whose records are included.
✕Less likely to help
People without both opioid and alcohol disorders, those not treated with medications, or those not seen in the included health systems would not be represented or directly helped by this analysis.
What this research studies
If you have both opioid and alcohol use disorders, the team will use anonymized electronic health records from a large US database to see which medication combinations people received and how they fared. They will compare standard OUD and AUD medications (like buprenorphine and first-line alcohol treatments) with regimens that include GLP-1 receptor agonists, and track outcomes over time. The study will look at substance use events, liver and other physical health measures, mental health, hospitalizations, detox use, and drug testing results. Researchers will also analyze patterns and patient factors that predict better or worse outcomes to help guide future care choices.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help clinicians choose medication combinations that lower overdoses and heavy drinking and improve overall health for people with both conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Early lab and small clinical studies suggest GLP-1 receptor agonists may reduce substance use, but using large real-world EHR data to compare them alongside standard OUD/AUD medicines is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Loyola University Chicago
Maywood, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Qeadan, Fares — Loyola University Chicago
- Study coordinator: Qeadan, Fares
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Integrated treatment for people with both opioid and alcohol use disorders using GLP-1 medicines and standard therapies
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Understanding how veterans access care for alcohol use and behavioral health
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.