Jon Hamilton People taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for diabetes were less likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorder, a new study shows. Maria Fabrizio for NPR hide caption There's new evidence that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can reduce the risk of addiction. A study of more than 600,000 veterans followed for up to 3 years found that those who started taking a GLP-1 drug for diabetes were about 15% to 20% less likely to misuse substances ranging from alcohol to opioids. The study, which appears in The BMJ, a medical journal, also found that GLP-1 drugs helped people with a history of substance use disorder. They were less likely to experience an overdose, drug-related hospitalization, drug-related death or suicide attempt. "The surprise was that it was working across various substances," says Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, an author of the study and a clinical epidemiologist at WashU Medicine in St. Louis.…