GLP-1 Drugs for Obesity: Current Landscape, Challenges, and What Comes Next | Research

The takeaway

Comprehensive review of GLP-1 obesity therapeutics covers current drugs (semaglutide, liraglutide, tirzepatide), emerging agents, weight regain challenges, cost barriers, and counterfeit drug risks.

Promise vs barriers
GLP-1 drugs achieve 15-17% weight loss but face cost, regain, tolerability, and counterfeit challenges limiting their impact

What the researchers found

GLP-1 drugs are highly effective for obesity but face challenges including weight regain on discontinuation, cost barriers, GI side effects, and counterfeit drug risks.

Why it matters

GLP-1 drugs could help the 650+ million people with obesity worldwide, but only if the barriers of cost, access, tolerability, and long-term treatment sustainability are addressed.

The numbers in context

Three FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs for obesity: liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. Additional agents are used off-label.

How the study worked

Comprehensive review of GLP-1 RA obesity treatment evidence, emerging agents, and current obstacles to widespread implementation.

Who was studied

Adults with obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes

What this study cannot tell us

Review reflects a rapidly evolving landscape — new drugs and pricing changes may alter conclusions. Different healthcare systems face different access challenges. Long-term safety data continues to accumulate.

How to read the evidence

Strong evidence: comprehensive review of a well-established drug class with extensive clinical trial and real-world data.

When this study was published

Published in 2025. Captures the most current GLP-1 obesity treatment landscape.

The bigger picture

We are at an inflection point in obesity medicine. GLP-1 drugs work, but making them accessible, affordable, and sustainable for the hundreds of millions who need them is the next great challenge. This review maps both the promise and the obstacles.

Questions still open

Will generic or biosimilar GLP-1 drugs solve the cost barrier?
Can combination strategies reduce weight regain when stopping GLP-1 drugs?
How can healthcare systems address counterfeit GLP-1 drug risks?

Common questions

What happens when you stop GLP-1 drugs?

Most patients regain significant weight after stopping GLP-1 drugs — typically about two-thirds of lost weight within a year. This means obesity treatment with GLP-1 drugs may need to be long-term, similar to blood pressure or cholesterol medications.

Why are GLP-1 drugs so expensive?

At ,000+ per month without insurance, cost is the biggest barrier to GLP-1 drug access. Pharmaceutical pricing, limited competition, and high demand contribute. Biosimilar versions and competition from new agents may eventually reduce prices.

Read the original research

Harnessing GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Obesity Treatment: Prospects and Obstacles on the Horizon.

Journal of obesity, 2025, 9919810

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Abdelrahman, Riad Mohammed; Musa, Taha Hussein; Arbab, Ismail Adam; Suliman, Mohsen Hussein; Ahmed, Eltieb Omer; Mohamed, Asma Noureldaim; Musa, Hassan Hussein; Jalal, Mohammed; Gasmallah, Sahar Ibrahim. (2025). Harnessing GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Obesity Treatment: Prospects and Obstacles on the Horizon.. Journal of obesity, 2025, 9919810. https://doi.org/10.1155/jobe/9919810