Press Room

Could diabetes drug help treat those suffering from addiction?

(10/31/2012)

Could diabetes drug help treat those suffering from addiction?
Examiner

October 23, 2012

Researchers in Nashville announced Tuesday that a drug currently used to treat type 2 diabetes could be just as effective in treating addiction to drugs, including cocaine. “We found that this drug called Exendin-4 that is already used for the medical management of diabetes, reduces the rewarding effects of cocaine in animals," said Gregg Stanwood, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and an investigator within the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and Vanderbilt Brain Institute. "We suspect that this is a general mechanism that will translate to additional drugs of abuse, especially other stimulants like amphetamine and methamphetamine."

Keywords: diabetes, drug, help, addiction

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