As GLP-1 medications including Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound reshape diabetes and weight loss care, recent developments such as new partnerships, safety questions and challenges in patient persistence show the landscape is quickly changing.
Here are five recent GLP-1 developments:
- Novo Nordisk teams with WeightWatchers to simplify Wegovy access
As of July 1, Novo Nordisk is partnering with WeightWatchers alongside Humana’s CenterWell Pharmacy to streamline the fulfillment and delivery of Wegovy prescriptions. The effort aims to make the medication easier to access for patients by leveraging WeightWatchers’ consumer platform.
- Novo Nordisk ends partnership with Hims & Hers amid legal concerns
Novo Nordisk abruptly ended its partnership with Hims & Hers, accusing the company of marketing unauthorized compounded versions of semaglutide under misleading claims of personal care. The drugmaker emphasized the importance of providing authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy to patients and called Hims & Hers’ practices a violation of federal law. Hims & Hers, meanwhile, said it refused “to be strong-armed by any pharmaceutical company’s anticompetitive demands.”.
- GLP-1 use linked to increased risk of serious eye conditions
A large population-based cohort study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that diabetic patients 66 and older who used GLP-1s for six months or longer had more than double the risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration compared to non-users.
- UK launches genetic study into GLP-1 use and acute pancreatitis
The UK’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has initiated a study through the Yellow Card BioBank to investigate a potential genetic link between GLP-1 use and acute pancreatitis.
- Long-term persistence on GLP-1 therapy for obesity remains low: Study
A study by Prime Therapeutics found that only about 8.1% of patients prescribed GLP-1s for obesity remained on therapy after three years. Persistence was highest among weekly Wegovy users at 14.3%, while daily Victoza users had the lowest rate at 2.5%.
