Semaglutide

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) used to treat type 2 diabetes by enhancing insulin secretion, reducing appetite, and promoting weight loss. It is administered as a subcutaneous injection once weekly and has shown significant efficacy in improving glycemic control and reducing body weight.

Semaglutide and Type 2 Diabetes: Efficacy, Safety, and Outcomes

Semaglutide offers a multifaceted approach to type 2 diabetes treatment, enhancing insulin release and reducing blood sugar through glucagon suppression.

What's Next for Semaglutide? Beyond Diabetes and Weight Loss

Mounjaro ingredient shows promise in lowering alcohol consumption

For the first time, researchers show that tirzepatide - the active ingredient in the diabetes and weight-loss drug Mounjaro - reduces alcohol intake as well as relapse-like behaviors in rats and mice.

20 Feb 2026

Gut microbiome may shape response to GLP-1 drugs, new review suggests

This review examines how GLP-1 receptor agonists and the gut microbiome influence one another through bile acid signaling, short-chain fatty acids, and inflammatory pathways. It explores how microbial composition may shape treatment response and highlights the need for controlled human studies to enable microbiome-informed precision therapy.

19 Feb 2026

How GLP-1 drugs affect the body beyond weight loss and glucose control

This review evaluates the safety profile of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and related incretin therapies used for obesity and type 2 diabetes. It highlights common gastrointestinal effects, rare but debated risks, and areas where further long-term safety data are still needed.

18 Feb 2026

Oral weight loss ingredient may have adverse biological effects for the gut and beyond

A new study from Adelaide University is turning a spotlight on those tablet versions, finding that the absorption-enhancing ingredient salcaprozate sodium (SNAC) may have measurable adverse biological effects for the gut and beyond.

17 Feb 2026

Can GLP-1 drugs slow neurodegeneration? New review finds promising signals but limited clinical proof

This review examines how GLP-1 receptor agonists may influence neurodegenerative disease biology through metabolic, inflammatory, mitochondrial, and proteostasis pathways. Evidence from mechanistic, preclinical, and early clinical studies suggests potential neuroprotective effects, but definitive disease-modifying benefit remains unproven.

17 Feb 2026

Ozempic users continue treatment when weight loss works despite side effects

A study on Ozempic for weight loss reveals user satisfaction is driven by efficacy, despite common gastrointestinal side effects impacting treatment adherence.

13 Feb 2026

Brain circuit links past experiences to appetite control

Our past experiences shape how much we eat and where and what we choose to eat. Using preclinical models, researchers from Mass General Brigham and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have identified brain cells that translate contextual information into appetite control.

12 Feb 2026

Weight loss drug tirzepatide may lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy

The popular diabetes and weight loss medication tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro or Zepbound) may lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of vision loss, according to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

11 Feb 2026

Semaglutide lowers cardiovascular events even without major weight loss, researchers report

Semaglutide reduced major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease regardless of baseline adiposity. Cardiovascular benefit was largely independent of overall weight loss, with waist circumference reduction explaining only part of the effect.

11 Feb 2026

Engineered liver tissue model mimics early metabolic liver disease

More than 100 million people in the United States suffer from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), characterized by a buildup of fat in the liver.

3 Feb 2026

Diabetes drug use linked to fewer gout treatments

Natalie McCormick, PhD, of the Rheumatology and Allergy Clinical Epidemiology Research (RACER) Center within the Division of Rheumatology in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, is the lead author of a paper published in Diabetes Care, "Gout-Related Medication Use After Initiating Sodium–Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in Patients With Gout and Type 2 Diabetes: Population-Based Target Trial Emulation Studies."

2 Feb 2026

New trial tests strategies to protect heart health during prostate cancer therapy

City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States with its National Medical Center ranked among the nation's top cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report, has opened a phase 2 clinical trial comparing three different strategies for protecting heart health in prostate cancer patients who receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a potentially lifesaving hormone therapy.

26 Jan 2026

New role for GLP-1 drugs: Improving survival in people with severe psychiatric disorders

This editorial argues that GLP-1 receptor agonists could substantially improve healthspan and reduce premature mortality in people with serious mental illnesses by targeting cardiometabolic risk rather than psychiatric symptoms alone. It highlights emerging evidence, safety considerations, and equity challenges that position GLP-1 RAs as a promising public health strategy for this high-risk population.

25 Jan 2026

Menopausal hormone therapy linked to greater weight loss with tirzepatide

A new study led by Mayo Clinic found that postmenopausal women receiving menopausal hormone therapy lost 35% more weight while taking tirzepatide, a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for the treatment of overweight and obesity.

22 Jan 2026

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs show early promise for treating addiction

This systematic review evaluates preclinical and clinical evidence on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as potential treatments for substance use disorders. Findings show consistent reductions in drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors in animal models, while human evidence remains limited, heterogeneous, and preliminary.

21 Jan 2026

NuSHs can be a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing MASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its progressive form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), represent the most common chronic liver diseases in Western populations, driven largely by obesity and insulin resistance.

21 Jan 2026

Bariatric surgery reshapes body fat and muscle more than GLP-1 drugs

Bariatric surgery and GLP-1 treatments reshape body composition differently, emphasizing the importance of sex and treatment choice in muscle preservation.

14 Jan 2026

Most patients regain lost weight within two years of stopping obesity drugs

Weight management medications show limited long-term effects, with rapid weight regain post-treatment, emphasizing the need for sustainable obesity strategies.

13 Jan 2026

Why adherence determines weight loss success with semaglutide

Researchers examine how the effectiveness of weight-loss medications may depend on the patient adherence.

12 Jan 2026

Weight loss drugs and surgery improve body composition in patients with obesity

Both the new weight loss drugs and bariatric (weight loss) surgery improve body composition in patients with obesity by inducing a moderate loss of fat-free mass (including lean muscle) along with a substantial reduction in fat, researchers at Vanderbilt Health have found.

9 Jan 2026