Friday, July 24 – Scoring high marks on two more phase III obesity trials, this time involving serious type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications, Eli Lilly and Co. has cleared the path for a BLA filing for its triple-G candidate retatrutide, which many expect will eventually surpass the top two marketed drugs in the space.

Friday, July 24 – Has a wanted fugitive been posing as a biotech executive? And what does it take to develop a therapy for an ultra-rare disease? Find out on this week’s episode of…

Thursday, July 23 – July The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity is associated with an increased risk of hair loss (alopecia) in adults with type 2 diabetes, a study published by The BMJ finds. Although the absolute risk is low, awareness of this potential effect may help inform shared treatment decisions, the researchers say.

Thursday, July 23 – (MedPage Today) — Adults with type 2 diabetes who used a GLP-1 receptor agonist had an increased risk of clinically recorded hair loss, data from a target trial emulation suggested.
Compared with other antidiabetic medications, GLP-1 drug use…

Thursday, July 23 – (MedPage Today) — The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with a lower risk of alcohol-related hospitalization in adults with alcohol addiction, a retrospective study found. (BMJ Open)
GLP-1 drugs for obesity were linked with reduced…

Wednesday, July 22 – People taking semaglutide for weight loss continued to consume significantly fewer calories after 60 weeks on the medication, helping explain how the medication supports both initial weight loss and long-term weight maintenance. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and led by investigators from Penn’s Center for Weight and Eating Disorders and Penn Metabolic Medicine, is among the first to examine the long-term effects of semaglutide on eating behavior beyond the initial months of treatment.

Wednesday, July 22 – GLP-1 receptor agonists are among the active ingredients in so-called weight-loss injections. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, they are now also used to treat severe obesity. In recent years, studies have provided evidence that they may also reduce the consumption of alcohol and other substances. However, it has not been clear whether these potential effects persist after the medication is discontinued.

Wednesday, July 22 – The attorneys general of Texas and Louisiana pushed back on Tuesday against a bid from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to duck a specialty pharmacy’s antitrust case accusing the companies of blocking competition for GLP-1 medications.

Wednesday, July 22 – Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk Inc. slapped rival Eli Lilly & Co. with a false advertising suit in New Jersey federal court Tuesday, calling a marketing campaign for the rival’s weight loss drugs “deceptive” for “withholding critical scientific evidence” about newer GLP-1 formulations.

Wednesday, July 22 – (MedPage Today) — Novo Nordisk sued rival drugmaker Eli Lilly, alleging false advertising claims about relative weight-loss drug performance. (Reuters via NBC News)
GLP-1 drug use surged from 2017 to 2022, jumping 230% in adults with diabetes…

Wednesday, July 22 – Here’s how weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could reduce worker illness and save companies money.

Wednesday, July 22 – Danish pharma company says Eli Lilly using outdated trial data to make its weight-loss drugs appear more effectiveOzempic maker Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it is suing arch US rival Eli Lilly over “false and materially misleading” adverts for its competing weight-loss and anti-diabetes treatments.The Danish pharmaceuticals heavyweight complained that the US group – which makes rival weight-loss treatments Zepbound and Mounjaro – “intentionally selected outdated studies” that compared Lilly’s highest doses against lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s medicines. Continue reading…

Wednesday, July 22 – Novo Nordisk has launched legal action accusing Eli Lilly of creating “misleading” ads, a claim its rival denies.

Wednesday, July 22 – Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, has filed a federal lawsuit against Eli Lilly, accusing its competitor of false advertising and unfair competition. Novo Nordisk challenges national ad campaigns from Eli Lilly that compare GLP-1 drugs from both companies, saying that Lilly intentionally relies on outdated clinical trials to paint a false and misleading picture. NBC’s Christine Romans joins TODAY with the details.

Wednesday, July 22 – Novo Nordisk sued Eli Lilly for allegedly running a “deceptive” ad campaign that uses “outdated clinical trials” to make its obesity and diabetes drugs appear more effective.

Tuesday, July 21 – Adolescents and young adults in the U.S. are increasingly using popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs alone or in conjunction with metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) to manage obesity, according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Tuesday, July 21 – (MedPage Today) — The market for compounded GLP-1 drugs remained robust despite the end of semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) shortages, with many facilities adding ingredients like B vitamins and some operating…

Tuesday, July 21 – Despite growing evidence that GLP-1 medications improve health and are worth their cost, many insurance plans still limit coverage. University of Mississippi researchers are examining why and where that leaves patients.

Tuesday, July 21 – New research being presented at the International Congress on Obesity (ICO2026), hosted by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) in Mexico City, Mexico (15–17 July), shows that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for weight loss in children of various ages without diabetes are safe and effective. The study is by Dr. Manpreet Kaur Oberoi of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues.

Tuesday, July 21 – From headlines and social media, psychedelic therapies, cannabis use and GLP-1 medications have seemingly become commonplace overnight, but the science underlying these treatments and the pathway to drug approval are often more nuanced than the headlines suggest.

Monday, July 20 – “I’m the one that has to live in my body, I’m doing what I need to get my life back, and that’s all that matters.”View Entire Post ›

Sunday, July 19 – (MedPage Today) — I spent 10 minutes in complete silence in my patient’s room today, my eyes scanning lines of text in the electronic medical record. I wasn’t looking for a life-threatening lab value or an undiscovered malignancy. I was hunting…

Saturday, July 18 – GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy may help ease symptoms of binge eating disorder and related eating behaviors. Giselleflissak/Getty Images

A new study found that GLP-1RAs could reduce key symptoms of binge eating disorder.

These included binge eating severity, loss of control eating, and emotional eating.

Experts say that GLP-1RAs could potentially augment existing treatments for binge eating disorder, like psychotherapy.

Saturday, July 18 – A new report states that older adults using GLP-1 drugs may have a higher risk of loss of muscle mass, malnutrition, dehydration, and other frailty-associated conditions. Getty Images

A new report states that older adults using GLP-1 drugs may have a higher risk of loss of muscle mass, malnutrition, and dehydration.

However, the benefits of taking these drugs should be weighed against these risks when the medications are prescribed.

Saturday, July 18 – An estimated 27% of U.S. adults with diabetes are using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs)—a type of medication that mimics the GLP-1 hormone—to lower blood sugar and support weight loss. Some research has suggested that their use can reduce the risk of developing other diseases.

Saturday, July 18 – Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have reported results from a large international clinical trial showing that semaglutide, a medication in the GLP-1 class of drugs widely used to treat diabetes and obesity, may help reduce liver scarring in patients with advanced fatty liver disease, including those with early-stage cirrhosis.

Saturday, July 18 – Despite an FDA crackdown and numerous pharma lawsuits, nearly 1 in 5 patients are taking cheaper weight-loss alternatives despite the risks.

Friday, July 17 – Some people using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss have reported changes in their feet. Image Credit: stockvisual/Getty

“Ozempic feet” is the latest anecdotal side effect of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.

The unusual phenomenon is a result of rapid weight loss, which may cause foot pain, changes in shoe size, and a more bony appearance in the feet.

Friday, July 17 – Why do some people lose substantial weight with GLP-1-based medications while others see more modest results? A Mayo Clinic study offers a potential answer by identifying a distinct biological subtype of obesity that responds especially well to tirzepatide, a medication that mimics two naturally occurring hormones involved in appetite and blood sugar regulation, moving the field closer to precision medicine for obesity.

Friday, July 17 – As use of GLP-1s surged across the U.S., average total payments per user also climbed sharply, according to a new Northwestern University study that analyzed national trends in GLP-1 use and spending between 2017 and 2022. These total payments included out-of-pocket costs paid by patients as well as payments from insurers, employers and government programs.

Friday, July 17 – A meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials involving more than 23,000 participants, presented at the International Congress on Obesity (ICO 2026), hosted by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) in Mexico City, Mexico (July 15–17), shows that the GLP-1 class of obesity drugs is associated with a marked reduction in systemic inflammation beyond its anti-obesity effects, potentially explaining how the drugs can reduce cardiovascular risk factors.

Thursday, July 16 – Public interest in obesity medication has risen 25-fold since the launch of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, new research presented at the International Congress on Obesity (ICO2026) in Mexico City, Mexico, hosted by the World Obesity Federation (July 15–17) shows.

Thursday, July 16 – (MedPage Today) — Note that some links may require registration or subscription.
A preprint study flagged signals of frailty in seniors taking the GLP-1 drug tirzepatide (Zepbound) for weight loss. (Reuters via Yahoo!)
The House passed a bill…

Thursday, July 16 – (MedPage Today) — GLP-1 drugs did not appear to improve diabetes patients’ job or marriage prospects, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. (Axios)
The U.S. by 2035 will have 57 million overweight individuals…

Thursday, July 16 – Mindrank AI Ltd. completed a $52 million series B round to advance MDR-001, its AI-discovered oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, which is in phase III trials for obesity in China.

Wednesday, July 15 – As a Gen Xer who lived through the “heroin chic” years, when skeletal models were celebrated for jutting bones and sallow skin, the recent popularity of the #Y2KSkinny trend fills me with dread.

Wednesday, July 15 – (MedPage Today) — Note that some links may require registration or subscription.
A cohort study found that diabetes patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists had a higher risk of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a potentially blinding eye condition…

Wednesday, July 15 – Researchers found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, slowed biological aging markers in adults with HIV, marking the first clinical evidence that the drug may influence human aging. Although the findings are encouraging, scientists say larger studies are needed before concluding that the medication can help people age more slowly.

(Wednesday, July 15 – MedPage Today) — Adding a GLP-1 receptor agonist was not associated with a lower likelihood of discontinuing existing basal insulin therapy among veterans with type 2 diabetes compared with other glucose-lowering agents, a target emulation trial…