New clinical findings, legal settlements and expanding use cases are shaping the GLP-1 landscape across oncology, pediatrics and addiction care. Here are nine GLP-1 updates to know.
- Telehealth company Quel Health launched a telehealth platform using GLP-1 receptor agonists off-label for addiction care, available in 41 states and Washington, D.C. Wernersville, Pa.-based Caron Treatment Centers, a founding partner, has treated more than 600 patients with GLP-1s for substance use disorder.
- Novo Nordisk secured a permanent injunction restricting LifeRxMD from making certain claims about Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus in its marketing of compounded drugs as part of a confidential settlement in New Jersey federal court. LifeRxMD must disclose for 12 months that its compounded products are not FDA-approved.
- Two out of every five young children who took Wegovy in a clinical trial lost enough weight to no longer be classified as having obesity, Novo Nordisk announced. The trial, the first to test Wegovy in children younger than 12, found no new safety concerns after 68 weeks.
- The FDA is tracking more than 1,700 adverse event reports tied to compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide as of May 31, and officials say the true number is likely higher. The agency cautions the reports do not establish causation but has continued warning telehealth companies and compounders about misleading marketing and quality concerns.
- GLP-1 use among young children with obesity remains rare but is rising rapidly, climbing from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% in 2026 among children ages 8 to 11. Children in upper-income communities were 55% more likely to be prescribed the drugs than those in lower-income communities.
- GLP-1 prescribing increased faster among adults with serious mental illness than among those without from 2018 to 2024, a study found. Researchers said the trend suggests clinicians view the drugs as safe and effective for this population, with a possible exception for patients with schizophrenia.
- Several studies presented at a recent breast cancer conference suggest GLP-1 use is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer and better outcomes among people diagnosed with the disease, including a roughly 30% lower risk of developing breast cancer and a 63% lower risk of lymphedema after mastectomy. All the studies were retrospective and involved patients who were taking GLP-1s for diabetes or obesity.
- Novo Nordisk has begun a late-stage trial testing lower doses of its oral Wegovy pill in about 450 adults with obesity or overweight across 62 sites in the U.S. and Europe, aiming to give physicians more flexibility for patients who cannot tolerate the current 25 milligram dose.
- Eli Lilly has filed six lawsuits against compounding pharmacies, medical spas and online sellers it accuses of illegally selling its investigational obesity drug retatrutide. The company has also referred more than 200 individuals and entities to the FDA, Justice Department and other authorities.
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