Drugs Like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound And Mounjaro Could Treat Other Conditions—Here’s What Scientists Are Looking At
KEY FACTS
Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound — brand names for drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide — are far and away the most famous members of a booming class of medications known as GLP-1 agonists, which mimic the function of a gut hormone involved in regulating blood sugar and appetite, glucagon-like peptide-1.
GLP-1 drugs were initially approved to treat diabetes and, more recently, obesity, and with more and more people using the drugs, signs of other potential benefits are starting to emerge and Novo gathered enough data to prove this and scored approval from the Food and Drug Administration in March to add cardiovascular benefits to Wegovy’s label (experts expect Zepbound will be shown to have similar heart benefits), with research showing semaglutide could slash the risk of heart problems like heart attack and stroke by 20%, regardless of weight lost.
Lilly is also eying a label expansion for Zepbound after a late-stage trial found that the drug “meaningfully improved sleep apnea symptoms,” and if approved the drug would become the first pharmaceutical treatment for the underlying causes of the condition, rather than treating symptoms.
Companies like Novo and Lilly, as well as hopeful competitors like Boehringer and Zealand Pharma, are exploring GLP-1 drugs as a potential treatment for fatty liver disease, a longstanding graveyard for pharmaceutical development until the FDA authorized the first treatment, and other research, as trials suggest GLP-1s could be effective at treating kidney disease.
Studies also indicate the GLP-1 class could also lower the risk of developing an array of different cancers and possibly help with a range of brain disorders too, where they potentially help boost mood, cognitive function and alleviate symptoms for conditions including Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety, areas that have long been notorious sticking points for pharmaceutical development.
Substance use disorders and addiction is another promising avenue following reports of diminished cravings among people taking GLP-1 drugs, though scientists are still working to figure out why — the drug could feasibly act on parts of the brain and nervous system as these also produce the GLP-1 hormone or have relevant hormone receptors for it — and confirm whether the medications can indeed curb addiction.
HAVE WEIGHT LOSS INJECTIONS BEEN LINKED TO ANY NEW SIDE EFFECTS?
While the clinical trials required to bring a drug to market are extensive, rigorous and ensure products are safe and effective, they rarely provide a complete picture of a medication. The sheer number of people who take a drug after approval, especially popular ones like semaglutide and tirzepatide, can dwarf the number of people involved in a trial and companies and regulators alike monitor how they fare in the real world. While it is exciting when reports and data gathered from more people using drugs indicate new possible benefits and uses, especially in areas like mental health and liver disease that have long evaded the efforts of pharmaceutical researchers, there is also the possibility that new information on negative effects can emerge as well. For weight loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, mental health issues and an uptick in suicidal thoughts have been the subject of significant scrutiny, though recently-released reviews from agencies like the FDA and the European Medicines Agency have cast doubt on the connection and said such a link is unlikely. Other research has indicated GLP-1 drugs could reduce bone density and suggested Ozempic and Wegovy could increase the risk of developing a rare form of blindness, though Novo have criticized the study as lacking sufficient data to establish a link. Medicines regulators have also begun changing guidance included on a drug’s label as more becomes known, including new warnings for patients undergoing surgery and anesthesia as the drugs can boost the risk of aspiration (inhaling something other than air) as material rises up from the stomach during the operation. There is also ongoing debate whether GLP-1s can raise the risks of developing certain types of cancer, notably thyroid cancers, though the matter is far from settled.
BIG NUMBER
$100 billion. That’s how much the weight loss drug market could be worth by 2030, analysts estimate, though some believe the market could possibly be worth much, much more than that. Novo and Lilly have already raked in billions from the drugs for obesity and diabetes and they have ballooned into some of the most valuable companies in the world off the back of these drugs, despite their inability to meet demand and persistent shortages.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Novo and Lilly hold an effective duopoly over the GLP-1 market right now, particularly regarding obesity. Experts like Citi analyst Peter Verdult told Forbes the wealth of data the pair are able to gather on semaglutide and tirzepatide will help them solidify their dominant positions and see off competitors still racing to bring drugs to market. Adding things like cardiovascular benefits to Wegovy’s label will raise the bar for new entrants to compete, especially as there’s a clear limit to the advantages brought by improving something like the amount of weight loss as research indicates Zepbound has done with Wegovy. “Now some may say, well that's fine, I'll just piggyback on it, because it's the same molecules, same mechanism of action and everyone takes it for granted. But the bottom line is if you're a drug rep, you can't promote that,” Verdult said.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Novo Nordisk is carrying out two late-stage clinical trials, Evoke and Evoke Plus, to assess whether semaglutide could have a positive impact on early Alzheimer’s disease. The studies, which involve more than 1,800 patients taking the drug or a placebo over the course of three years, are due to finish towards the middle of 2026 and the company is expected to read out results at some point that year.
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