Regulatory agencies and drugmakers are expanding the approved uses of GLP-1-based therapies, initially developed for type 2 diabetes and obesity, into broader health conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro, approval to reduce heart attack or stroke risk in high-risk diabetes patients. Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes, has received multiple regulatory nods for cardiovascular and metabolic indications.
The FDA approved Wegovy in 2024 to lower cardiac risks in overweight adults without diabetes, while the European Medicines Agency authorized semaglutide in September 2024 to alleviate heart failure symptoms in obese patients. In August 2025, the FDA expanded Wegovy’s label to include adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a severe liver condition. Eli Lilly’s Rybelsus, another semaglutide-based therapy, gained FDA clearance in 2025 to reduce cardiovascular risks in diabetic patients.
Clinical research is probing GLP-1 drugs in conditions where obesity is a contributing factor. A mid-stage study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill involving 48 adults found semaglutide significantly reduced weekly alcohol cravings versus placebo. Yale University launched a trial in March 2026 to assess semaglutide in alcohol use disorder among post-bariatric surgery patients, with results due in October 2026.
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide failed to slow cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s patients in two late-stage trials totaling 3,808 participants, announced in November 2025. The company halted plans for a one-year extension after the drug improved certain biomarkers but did not alter disease progression based on cognitive and functional measures.
In kidney disease, Ozempic received FDA approval to reduce kidney failure risk and cardiovascular death in diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease. A mid-stage Eli Lilly trial testing tirzepatide in 140 patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease is ongoing, with results expected in October. For knee osteoarthritis, a late-stage Novo Nordisk study of 407 patients showed semaglutide reduced body weight and pain after 68 weeks, improving physical function in obese individuals with moderate osteoarthritis. Eli Lilly is also recruiting for a trial of its oral GLP-1 drug, Foundayo, in the same patient group.
Liver disease research is advancing rapidly. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy is in a phase 2 MASH study involving about 1,200 patients, with second-part results due in 2029. Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide achieved absence of MASH without worsening liver scarring in 74% of patients at 52 weeks, compared with 13% on placebo. The company’s advanced study, launched in October 2025, is evaluating tirzepatide and retatrutide in 4,500 high-risk MASH patients through 2032.
Additional areas under investigation include idiopathic intracranial hypertension, where researchers at the Danish Headache Center are testing semaglutide with a very-low-calorie diet. The FDA approved Eli Lilly’s Zepbound in December 2024 to treat obstructive sleep apnea, marking the first drug specifically indicated for the condition.
