“In the history of medicine, a few drugs tower above all others. Humira for rheumatoid arthritis; Prozac for depression; statins to prevent heart disease and strokes. All have helped patients far beyond doctors’ initial expectations and continue to benefit millions of people every day. A new class of drugs is set to join their ranks and has the potential to eclipse them all—GLP-1 receptor agonists.

These drugs mimic the action of a naturally occurring hormone, glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), and for decades have been used to treat diabetes. More recently they have become a wildly popular way for people to lose weight. But in March semaglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist sold as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight-loss) was approved in America for cardiovascular disease in overweight people. In April tirzepatide (sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound) showed positive results in late-stage trials for sleep apnoea, a breathing disorder. In other trials it seems to reduce chronic kidney disease.

This is just the start. GLP-1 agonists are also being tested for everything from liver disease to substance-use disorders and addiction. One firm is even considering trials for those at risk of obesity—as preventive medications. Patients taking semaglutide may have a lower risk of overdose from opioids, suggesting that it could also be used to treat opioid-use disorder. The drugs have been mooted as a treatment for long-term infections, are being investigated for use in delaying Alzheimer’s, and some even talk of their anti-ageing effects and potential as a longevity drug. On X recently, Eric Topol, a cardiologist who leads Scripps Research, a non-profit research institute in San Diego, California, called GLP-1 drugs ‘the most important drug-class breakthrough in medical history.'”

From The Economist.