Category: GLP-1s

There’s no shortage of headlines and hypotheticals about the blockbuster drug class of GLP-1s. Stephen Klasko, MD, argues we’re asking the wrong questions about GLP-1s. 

Labels for GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, might see more approved uses as researchers study the drugs’ effects on sleep apnea, dementia and other health issues. Meanwhile, oncologists are looking at a GLP-1 role in cancer care.

There has been an uptick in patients being treated for eating disorders who are abusing GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, according to research published Aug. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

In recent years, more prescriptions for GLP-1 drugs were written to treat obesity than Type 2 diabetes, adding to accessibility and shortage concerns, according to a study published July 23 in Annals of Internal Medicine. 

Whether a GLP-1 medication is approved for diabetes or chronic weight management, declaring one therapy as “best” for weight loss is tricky. 

Counterfeit Ozempic presentations, known as “faux-zempic,” are on the rise in legal and illegal supply chains, The New York Times reported July 12. 

Citing high costs, payers are favoring bariatric surgeries over Wegovy and similar medications, according to an NYU Langone expert. It’s unclear if insurers’ policies can quell the booming popularity of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, though. 

A week after a study connected Ozempic and Wegovy to an eye condition that can cause partial blindness, two ophthalmology organizations said they have “been aware of other vision changes for some time.”

Using Mounjaro for one year led to more weight loss than Ozempic did in a study of 18,386 patients, according to the results published July 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may lower the risk of developing certain obesity-related cancers, according to a new study from researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.