Drugmakers are building addiction and Parkinson's programs on GLP-1 compounds
Lilly's brenipatide, tested for alcohol use disorder, has a half-life of 9-12 days against 5-7 for approved GLP-1 drugs, Nature reported. Kariya has early Parkinson's data on KP405. Baseline plans a phase III of BT-001 in early 2027.
The Scientist · Science desk
Bar comparison of half-life. Brenipatide: 9 to 12 days, plotted at 9. Other approved GLP-1 medications: 5 to 7 days, plotted at 5.
Half-life, low end of each reported range, Psych Congress data In days, low end
| Item | Value | Claim |
|---|---|---|
| Brenipatide, 9-12 days | 9 days, low end | 2 |
| Approved GLP-1 drugs, 5-7 days | 5 days, low end | 2 |
What happened
- People taking GLP-1 receptor agonists commonly report losing interest in drinking alcohol and smoking, an unexpected effect that drew addiction researchers to the drugs.
- Christian Hendershot published the first clinical trial of semaglutide in alcohol use disorder in 2025; craving and heavy-drinking episodes fell over time, and laboratory alcohol intake was lower.
- Two other academic-led clinical studies have since found similar results, according to Nature.
- Beyond alcohol, brenipatide is in trials for tobacco and opioid use disorder, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Why it matters
- contradiction Brenipatide's case as a distinct product currently rests on one number: Lilly's Robert Nicholson calls the longer duration especially suitable for these patients, while Randy Seeley says nothing else clearly separates it from marketed drugs.
- constraint The positive alcohol studies used semaglutide, which mimics GLP-1 alone, while brenipatide mimics GLP-1 and GIP, so each company compound has to show the effect for itself.
- precedent Lorenzo Leggio says industry had not shared the academic interest until recently; with Lilly, Kariya and Baseline now in, we'd expect more of the field's evidence to come from company-run trials.
The only difference between brenipatide and marketed GLP-1 drugs that the article quantifies is half-life. The 9-12 days reported from the Psych Congress presentation in New Orleans sits above the 5-7 days for other approved GLP-1 medications, and the two ranges do not overlap [2]. Comparing the ends of each range, the ratio runs from about 1.3 (9 over 7) to 2.4 (12 over 5) [11]. That is a statement about how long the drug stays active in the body. The thing this doesn't tell you is whether longer exposure changes how much people drink.
Self-report is where the idea started, and it cannot separate a drug from everything else changing in a person's life [9]. The clinical evidence has to do that. By Hendershot's account, the studies so far consistently show benefits that seem greater than those of the drugs now approved for alcohol use disorder [7]. The article does not report the effect sizes, sample sizes or control arms behind that judgment, the drinking outcomes from Lilly's presentation, or the Kariya data.
Hendershot said the companies' new focus could accelerate access for people who could benefit [16]. "With the industry trials coming online, we'll see this area of work grow even more quickly in the next couple of years," he said [14]. "Hopefully that will lead to one or more FDA approvals for GLP-1 therapies for addiction" [15].
What to watch
- Drinking outcomes, sample size and control arm for Lilly's brenipatide alcohol-use-disorder results, beyond the congress presentation.
- Kariya's full KP405 Parkinson's data, which Nature describes only as early clinical results.
- Whether Baseline starts the BT-001 phase III in early 2027 as planned.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence40
- Adoption15
- Hype gap+20
- Incentives35
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Eli Lilly presented the first clinical results of brenipatide, a compound related to its obesity drug tirzepatide, for treatment of alcohol use disorder.
- [2]
According to data presented at the Psych Congress in New Orleans, brenipatide's half-life is 9-12 days, as opposed to 5-7 days for other approved GLP-1 medications; it remains active in the body longer than approved GLP-1 drugs.
- [3]
Kariya Pharmaceuticals shared early clinical results of a similar compound, KP405, for Parkinson's disease.
- [4]
Baseline Therapeutics, in San Francisco, plans to start phase III trials of BT-001, a GLP-1 mimic aimed at alcohol use disorder, in early 2027.
- [5]
In 2025 Christian Hendershot published the first clinical trial of semaglutide in people with alcohol use disorder; it found semaglutide reduced craving for alcohol and episodes of heavy drinking over time and lowered the amount participants consumed in a laboratory test.
- [6]
Two other academic-led clinical studies have found similar results to the 2025 semaglutide trial.
- [7]
Hendershot says the studies so far consistently show benefits that seem to be greater than those of the drugs currently approved for alcohol use disorder.
- [8]
Beyond alcohol use disorder, brenipatide is in clinical trials for tobacco and opioid use disorder, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
- [9]
People taking GLP-1 receptor agonists commonly report a lack of interest in drinking alcohol and smoking, an unexpected effect that piqued the interest of addiction researchers.
- [10]
Semaglutide mimics the gut hormone GLP-1; tirzepatide mimics both GLP-1 and GIP; brenipatide is described as a GLP-1 and GIP mimic.
- [11]
Brenipatide's reported half-life is about 1.3 to 2.4 times that of other approved GLP-1 medications, comparing the ends of each range.
- [12]
Robert Nicholson, who leads medical affairs for psychiatry and substance use disorders at Eli Lilly, says the longer duration makes brenipatide especially suitable for people living with substance use disorders or psychiatric conditions.
- [13]
Randy Seeley, an obesity specialist at the University of Michigan, says that other than the longer half-life, it is not clear there are major differences between brenipatide and drugs now on the market.
- [14]
"With the industry trials coming online, we'll see this area of work grow even more quickly in the next couple of years."
- [15]
"Hopefully that will lead to one or more FDA approvals for GLP-1 therapies for addiction."
- [16]
Hendershot says the companies' new focus on these therapies could accelerate access for people who could benefit from them.
- [17]
Researchers have long been interested in GLP-1 drugs against brain conditions, but until recently the pharmaceutical industry had not shared that interest, according to Lorenzo Leggio of the National Institutes of Health.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- nature.comCan GLP-1s heal the brain? Obesity drugs get a makeover for addiction and depression
1 article · October 12, 2026
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