Glutide for Ending Methamphetamine
Key facts
- Who runs it
- San Francisco Department of Public Health
- Where
- San Francisco, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- Phase
- Phase 2
- People taking part
- 162 people, planned
- Started
- 26 Feb 2026
- Expected to end
- 15 Feb 2030
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Semaglutide
- Placebo
- Record updated
- 3 June 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years to 65 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Can take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 38 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Participants are eligible to be included in the study only if all of the following criteria apply:
- Ability to provide informed consent before any study-related activity, willing to comply with all study procedures, and be available for the duration of the study,
- Age 18 - 65 years inclusive,
- Moderate to severe Methamphetamine Use Disorder by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID),
- Self-reported methamphetamine use ≥15 days out of the past 30,
- Methamphetamine-positive urine during screening and run-in period,
- Interested in stopping or reducing meth use,
- BMI ≥ 25kg/m2,
- Have at least 1 centimeter of scalp hair,
- Agree (if the participant is of child-bearing potential) to use effective contraceptive methods, unless all of the participant's male partner(s) is/are surgically sterile (underwent vasectomy). Acceptable contraceptives include oral contraceptives, contraceptive sponge, patch, double barrier (diaphragm/spermicidal or condom/spermicidal), intrauterine contraceptive system, etonogestrel implant, medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injection, complete abstinence from sexual intercourse, and/or hormonal vaginal ring. Contraceptive measures sold for emergency use after unprotected sex are not acceptable methods for routine use. Women of child-bearing potential must provide negative urine pregnancy test prior to randomization; Note: A woman is considered fertile (of childbearing potential) following menarche and until becoming postmenopausal unless permanently sterile. Women in the following categories are not considered of childbearing potential: premenarcheal, premenopausal female with one of the following: documented hysterectomy, documented bilateral salpingectomy, documented bilateral oophorectomy. Postmenopausal female is defined as no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause. Females on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and whose menopausal status is in doubt will be required to use one of the non-hormonal highly effective contraception methods if they wish to continue their HRT during the trial
- Be able to provide the names of at least 2 persons who can consistently locate their whereabouts
Who cannot take part
- Past 30 day use of sulfonylureas, insulin and insulin products, or medication used for weight management (e.g., orlistat, naltrexone-bupropion, liraglutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide, phentermine, topiramate, benzhetamine, diethylpropion, phendimetrazine)
- Prior use of or known hypersensitivity to any GLP-1 agonist,
- Any otherwise not specified concomitant medication that could compromise participant safety or treatment in the opinion of the Study Physician and/or the PIs,; General exclusions:
- Surgery scheduled during the trial, except for minor surgical procedures that, in the opinion of the PI and/or the Study Physician, will not require general anesthesia with the risk of aspiration,
- Uncontrolled hypertension or systolic BP >160 mmHg and/or diastolic BP >90 mmHg, averaged from three measurements,
- History of malignant neoplasms within the past 5 years prior to screening. Basal and squamous cell skin cancer and any carcinoma in-situ are allowed
- History of heart failure or severe gastrointestinal disease (including acute or chronic pancreatitis, any gastric emptying disorder, gallbladder disease; any gastric resection),
- Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A or 2B,
- History of retinopathy,
- Acute or chronic illnesses likely to result in hospitalization or death during trial participation,
- Plan to have all hair removed or chemically treat hair during study,; Psychiatric/Substance Use Exclusions:
- Moderate to severe opioid, cocaine, or alcohol use disorder,
- Current non-drug-induced psychotic disorder by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID),
- History of a suicide attempt or past 30-day suicidal ideation,
- Have any psychiatric illness or condition which in the opinion of the PI and/or the Study Physician would preclude safe and/or successful completion of the study,; Weight-related exclusions:
- Uncontrolled thyroid disease,; Medication-related exclusions:
- Any other condition that, in the PI's judgment, interferes with safe study participation or adherence to study procedures
- Diabetes (type 1 or 2), hemoglobin A1c ≥ 6.5 at screening, or history of diabetic ketoacidosis,
- History or current hypoglycemia (blood glucose <70 mg/dL),
- Impaired renal function (estimated GFR <60 ml/min),
- Lipase, amylase, direct (conjugated) bilirubin, or alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 1.5 times the upper limit of normal, or ALT or AST more than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal,
- Participants are excluded from the study if any of the following criteria apply:
- Calcitonin value equal to or above 50 ng/L,
- Women who are currently pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, or lactating, or of childbearing potential and are not using medically accepted forms of contraception (see inclusion criterion 9 regarding medically accepted forms of contraception)
- Current, anticipated, or pending enrollment in another addiction treatment program and/or research study that could potentially affect participant safety and/or the study data/design as determined by the Principal Investigator and/or Study Physician
- Planning to leave the area during the trial,
- Unable to communicate (read, write, and speak) fluently in English, OR
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 65 years old?
Where in United States
- Center on Substance Use and HealthSan Francisco, United StatesContact: Xochitl Luna Marti, MPHTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
GEM is a two-phase study to evaluate the use of semaglutide (Wegovy) for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder (MeUD).
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The first phase is a pilot study, which will be an open-label, single-arm pilot study of 25 participants. Participants will receive Wegovy over a 12-week treatment period, with a subsequent follow-up visit at week 20. This phase will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Wegovy for MeUD.
The second phase will be a phase IIb randomized-controlled trial to determine the efficacy of Wegovy in treating MeUD. This trial will be similar to the pilot with randomization to Wegovy or placebo and blinding of group assignment. The trial will enroll 162 participants across two sites.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Semaglutide (Wegovy)Treatment being tested
Treatment: Semaglutide
- PlaceboPlacebo, for comparison
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07204249, who can take part
- Record updated
- 3 June 2026