Veterans data tie GLP-1 drugs to fewer overdoses as Quel Health launches addiction program

New analyses of Department of Veterans Affairs data link GLP-1 receptor agonist use to fewer overdoses, emergency visits and drug-related deaths among veterans who already had a substance use disorder, according to a report in Becker's Hospital Review ^[1]. Separately, a Santa Fe, N.M.-based telehealth company launched a platform built around using the same drug class in addiction care ^[1].

Among veterans with pre-existing substance use disorders, GLP-1 users had 30% fewer emergency department visits, 25% fewer hospitalizations, 40% fewer overdoses and 50% fewer drug-related deaths over a three-year period compared with patients taking other diabetes medicines ^[1]. Those figures come from observational VA data. Such analyses can show that two things are associated, but they cannot prove the drugs caused the differences ^[1].

A March 2026 study published in The BMJ, led by researchers at WashU Medicine in St. Louis, analyzed data from more than 600,000 veterans with Type 2 diabetes ^[1]. It found GLP-1 users had a 14% lower risk of developing any substance use disorder than patients on other diabetes medications, with risk reductions ranging from 14% to 25% depending on the substance ^[1]. The report describes the veterans findings as one of several studies pointing to a positive association between GLP-1s and lower addiction risk ^[1].

Quel Health announced its launch in a Sept. 8 news release and named Wernersville, Pa.-based Caron Treatment Centers a founding strategic partner ^[1]. The platform is available in 41 states and the District of Columbia, with national coverage planned by year-end ^[1]. Patients can meet virtually with affiliated addiction providers for evaluations and individualized treatment plans, which may involve off-label GLP-1 receptor agonists when clinically appropriate, along with video visits for medication management, health tracking and app-based messaging ^[1].

No GLP-1 medication is FDA-approved to treat addiction. Approved indications for the class include Type 2 diabetes, obesity or overweight, heart disease and kidney disease ^[1]. Caron has treated more than 600 patients with GLP-1 receptor agonists for substance use disorder, and Steven Klein, MD, PhD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Quel Health, evaluates the drugs in patients whose primary diagnosis was substance use disorder rather than obesity or diabetes at Caron's Pennsylvania and Florida campuses ^[1].

"What's most exciting about the GLP-1 receptor agonists is that … they modulate reward pathways and reduce cravings for substances across a pretty wide domain," Adam Scioli, DO, former chief medical officer at Caron, told Becker's ^[1]. "It's not just alcohol. It's not just opioids. There's evidence building that suggests other substances, including nicotine, are impacted by this pathway" ^[1].

Dr. Scioli said the drugs target the brain's reward system itself rather than a single receptor, and that for some patients they quiet the craving or "noise" that makes withdrawal difficult, which can help patients tolerate treatment and engage in therapy more quickly ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

For people already taking a GLP-1 for diabetes or obesity, the veterans data suggest a possible added benefit if they also have a substance use disorder, but the numbers come from records review, not randomized trials, so they do not establish cause and effect ^[1].

Anyone seeking a GLP-1 specifically for addiction would be getting an off-label prescription, since the FDA has not approved the class for that use ^[1]. The report does not say how much the Quel Health program costs, whether insurers cover it, or how the company handles prior authorization. Those details have not been disclosed ^[1]. The report also does not include dosing information or a comparison of which specific GLP-1 drugs were tied to the veterans outcomes ^[1].

What happens next

Quel Health says national coverage is planned by year-end ^[1]. More than 50 clinical trials examining GLP-1s for addiction are currently registered on ClinicalTrials.gov ^[1]. Results dates for those trials and any FDA review of an addiction indication have not been reported ^[1].