When it comes to GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy, misconceptions abound. Take, for example, the assumption that GLP-1 medications are a relatively new addition to the landscape. As use of the drugs has exploded, they certainly appear to be everywhere. In reality, though, GLP-1s have been around for longer than most people think. What about their potential benefits as a long-term therapy? Commonly, GLP-1s tend to be seen as a short-term solution for a long-term problem, but as is so often the case, the real answer is more complicated.
Are GLP-1 Medications New?
With their recently exploding popularity, GLP-1 medicines have quickly become household names. Nearly everyone has a loved one or friend who seems to have benefited from the treatment. However, these medications are not new at all. In fact, Dr. Tim Gilbert, Medical Director at Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic, has been treating patients with GLP-1 medicines for more than twenty years.
Photo courtesy of Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Dr. Tim Gilbert
“I wrote my first prescription for a GLP-1 medication in 2005, the same year the FDA approved the very first GLP-1 receptor agonist, exenatide (Byetta),” said Dr. Gilbert, who has spent much of his career focused on the management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. “From the start, the results were noticeable, but in its early stages, the medication required twice-daily doses and I would say often came with significant side effects. Through the years, medical advancements have greatly improved the treatments, and doctors now prescribe them widely.”
The medicines’ success has deep roots at Pennington Biomedical. Researchers there have studied and performed clinical trials on nearly every obesity medication and most of the diabetes medications on the market today. As more is learned, the science around this class of medications continues to evolve, with the focus on producing better results.
“The next generation of research isn’t simply asking, ‘Do GLP-1s help people lose weight?’” said Dr. Gilbert. “We are going further, determining how we can make these treatments safer, more effective, more convenient and more sustainable over the long term. As the advancements move quickly, more people living with diabetes and struggling with weight loss are benefitting.”
Are GLP-1s a Short-Term Weight-Loss Solution?
Obesity is a chronic disease—one that does not respond well to short-term treatments. With this in mind, Pennington Biomedical is working to determine how GLP-1 use can be expanded beyond a “lose-weight-fast” approach, to serve as part of a long-term disease management solution. Through pediatric and adolescent research as well as long-term extension studies, Pennington Biomedical researchers are using various approaches that show promise in supporting extended weight maintenance.
For example, one ongoing study is evaluating whether an investigational medication has the potential to help teens with excess body weight achieve and maintain weight loss for up to five years. This research is critical to understanding how these treatments work in young people and their safety, effectiveness and sustainability over the course of adolescence and into adulthood.
Another study strives to answer how to help patients maintain weight loss already attained. The clinical trial works with people who lost weight using semaglutides or tirzepatides, and analyzes whether that weight loss can be maintained when the patient switches to a medication that requires less frequent dosage.
“As we learn more about these medications, we continue to discover new pathways to help patients,” said Dr. Gilbert. “How do you preserve lean muscle mass while maximizing fat loss? What are the most effective ways to keep weight off? And how do we reduce the dosage of weekly injections or even introduce oral versions of the therapies? These are questions important to the future of the field, and the answers will undoubtedly come from Pennington Biomedical.”
To learn more about the groundbreaking GLP-1 research taking place at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and explore programs and clinical trials available to the Baton Rouge community, visit www.pbrc.edu/clinicaltrials.
