Study wrapper · #1138
Initiating semaglutide therapy reduces tobacco cigarette smoking intensity among people with HIV.
Ruderman SA, Crane HM, Haidar L, et al. AIDS (London, England). 2026.
DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000004596PubMed: 42558050
Editor's note
This slots into the growing file on GLP-1 drugs and addictive behaviors, alongside earlier signals on alcohol and nicotine. The effect here is real but modest, and the design — a before-and-after comparison in 123 people with no control group — cannot separate the drug's effect from quitting attempts that would have happened anyway. An intriguing data point for the antiaddictive hypothesis; randomized trials now underway will carry more weight.
Plain-language abstract
Among 123 people with HIV who smoked when they started semaglutide, average cigarette use fell by about 2.5 cigarettes per day — a 24% drop — and about one in five reported no smoking by the end of follow-up.
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