Researchers with UTHealth Houston awarded nearly $3 million to study cocaine use disorder

Researchers with UTHealth Houston awarded nearly $3 million to study cocaine use disorder

Written by: Office of Public Affairs | Updated: October 01, 2025

A four-year, $2.7 million grant to study the effects of semaglutide on cocaine use disorder was awarded to researchers at UTHealth Houston from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Luba Yammine, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, associate professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Joy Schmitz, PhD, professor in the department, are co-principal investigators of the study. The principal investigator team also includes Francesco Versace, PhD, professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine activates reward and reinforcement mechanisms in the brain, giving people a feeling of euphoria and the desire to take the drug again. Approximately 1.3 million Americans ages 12 and older struggle with cocaine use disorder, according to the American Addiction Center. Cocaine use disorder remains a public health challenge with a lack of Food and Drug Administration-approved medications. Behavioral therapy is the current treatment.

The research builds on a previous study headed by Yammine, which showed that GLP-1RA combined with nicotine patch therapy could improve smoking abstinence. The results led Yammine and Schmitz to consider applying semaglutide - a member of the GLP-1RA drug class - to cocaine use disorder.

"We think that semaglutide can help decrease the rewarding effects of stimulants such as cocaine," Yammine said. "Let's say you experience pleasure or enjoyment from using cocaine. If you take semaglutide, you may experience less of that enjoyment, which would decrease the motivation to use cocaine."

The study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which individuals with cocaine use disorder will be randomized to once-weekly semaglutide or the placebo, with approximately half of the people receiving the active medication and half receiving the placebo. All participants will receive individual cognitive behavioral therapy.

Among other assessments, such as self-reported and biochemically confirmed cocaine use, participants will undergo a test called an electroencephalogram (EEG), which will assess brain responses to cocaine-related images, or cues. The procedure will provide insights into the neural processes occurring during cue exposure and help to understand how semaglutide may work in the context of cocaine addiction. In addition to cocaine use-related outcomes, the study will explore whether semaglutide decreases participants' cravings for other substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, and/or marijuana. Assessments will be conducted before treatment begins and after 14 weeks of treatment.

"If we can decrease how rewarding cocaine is, and the craving in someone's head, we think they'll have a better chance of responding to treatment and recovering from their addiction. This would work hand in hand with behavioral treatments. Current behavioral interventions for managing cocaine use disorder, including contingency management and cognitive behavioral therapy, can be effective but do not work for all patients," said Schmitz, who is also the director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction at McGovern Medical School and holds the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Distinguished Professorship.

The study will be conducted at the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction. Those interested in learning more can call 713-500-3784 or text 832-799-8869.