Sustaining healthy weight loss is about much more than cutting calories or injecting drugs, as many glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist users are discovering. Widely seen as miracle drugs, semaglutide, tirzepatide and related medications have transformed the treatment of obesity and diabetes and apparently lessened the need for medical device intervention in many instances. However, many patients will still need surgical intervention to achieve their weight loss goals.
When glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists entered the market for obesity and overweight indications in recent years, the uptake and enthusiasm drove investor excitement for companies advancing any of the new mechanisms in the space.
In a threshold event in the U.S., Medicare is planning to break through its obesity coverage barrier with a voluntary test of a model designed to enable Medicare Part D plans and state Medicaid programs to cover GLP-1 drugs prescribed for weight management.
With new results from Wave Life Sciences Ltd., Structure Therapeutics Inc. and Ascletis Pharma Inc., obesity management drugs continue to move forward in producing weight loss and move the market.
In a phase II study, Novo Nordisk A/S’s amycretin reduced the weight of type 2 diabetes patients by 14.5% in 36 weeks, a statistically significant loss. The results also produced reduced hemoglobin A1C levels, an average of blood glucose that is used to monitor blood sugar control, below 7% in up to 89.1% of the participants.
Could GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), already used in obesity and diabetes, be repurposed as drugs to slow aging? Hong Kong, one of the places in the world with the highest human longevity, is also home to a scientific study on the effects of GLP-1RAs. For the first time, scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have assessed their pharmacological potential in later life using a multiomics preclinical approach.
Phase II data being presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases annual meeting indicate drug development in the field of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is making steady progress.
Hailing it as a win-win and a historic step forward in fighting chronic disease, the Trump administration announced pricing agreements Nov. 6 with Eli Lilly and Co. and Novo Nordisk A/S that will expand the availability of the companies’ weight loss drugs by cutting prices and, for the first time, providing coverage for the drugs in obesity through Medicare and Medicaid.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. announced Oct. 27 that its glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, efpeglenatide (HM-11260C), met the co-primary endpoints in a phase III study of obese adults without diabetes.
Sustaining healthy weight loss is about so much more than cutting calories or injecting drugs, as many GLP-1 users are finding out. Withings SA continues to expand its obesity care management ecosystem and the capabilities of its connected scale to support patients through their weight loss journey and their lives after reaching goal, potentially addressing the vexing problem of patients rapidly regaining all – and often more – weight once they discontinue the drugs.
