GLP-1 Agonists: Looking to the Future

Following the success of Ozempic®, Wegovy®, and other GLP-1 receptor agonists, pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop the next wave of metabolic drugs. These new therapies build on the proven benefits of currently approved GLP-1s—lowering diabetes/">blood sugar, supporting weight loss, and reducing cardiovascular risk—while aiming for even greater results in weight management and metabolic health.

The table below highlights some of the most promising GLP-1 drugs and multi-agonist combinations currently in clinical development, the companies behind them, and the additional health conditions they’re being studied for. From oral GLP-1s to triple-action molecules targeting obesity, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular outcomes, these next-generation treatments could reshape the future of diabetes and obesity care.

These drugs reflect major shifts: from injectable only to oral formulations (e.g., Orforglipron); and from single-target (GLP-1) to multi-agonist (GLP-1 + GIP, GLP-1 + Glucagon, GLP-1 + Amylin) aiming for stronger weight-loss and broader metabolic effects. Their indication expansion is broadening: beyond T2DM and obesity to include MASLD/NASH, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and fatty-liver/steatosis. For example, Retatrutide showed marked liver-fat reduction in a MASLD subgroup.

An additional note for Orforglipron: Eli Lilly expects regulatory filings toward late-2025 (obesity) and possibly 2026 (diabetes) based on clinical results.

As we can see from the final drug listed in the table above, not all testing pipelines result in success: Danuglipron’s termination underscores that safety (e.g., liver injury) and tolerability remain critical obstacles to the approval of new GLP-1s.

These developments have implications for future treatment paradigms: improved convenience (oral), wider access global scale, more powerful weight-loss, and potentially new classes of metabolic disease therapies.

In Part 4, we’ll review some of the most Frequently Asked Questions regarding GLP-1s, and their answers. It’s releasing exclusively on our blog November 14th, so make sure to add us to your bookmarks to stay up to date!:
https://staging.yourstudy.ca/canadian-health-blog/

Sources 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/13901-glp-1-agonists 

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medeffect-canada/health-product-infowatch/december-2024.html 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26371721/ 

https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/ddi/glp-1-agonists/ 

https://hopkinsdiabetesinfo.org/medications-for-type-2-diabetes-glp-1-agonists/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551568/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/n/rc72848269830370/ 

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-shortages/information-consumers/supply-notices/ozempic.html 

https://www.practicenursing.com/content/clinical/glp-1-receptor-agonists-and-their-role-in-managing-type-2-diabetes 

https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/glp-1-drug-best-weight-loss-3579236/ 

https://www.primetherapeutics.com/en/glp-1-pipeline-update-november-2024 

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-shortages/information-consumers/supply-notices/ozempic.html/1000.html 

https://www.avalanchept.com/post/comprehensive-list-of-fda-approved-glp-1-receptor-agonists-as-of-mid-2025 

https://www.powerpak.com/course/content/118150 

https://www.powerpak.com/course/content/114864 

https://www.primetherapeutics.com/glp-1-pipeline-update-february-2025 

https://primetherapeutics.com/glp-1-pipeline-update-may-2025 

https://primetherapeutics.com/glp-1-pipeline-november-2024 

https://www.primetherapeutics.com/glp-1-pipeline-update-november-2024 

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/glp-1s/glp-1-drug-approvals-a-breakdown.html 

https://acgng.org/most-popular-glp-1-medications/ 

https://sanemd.com/glp-1-medications/glp-1-medications-list-benefits-uses-side-effects/