STAT+: Researchers behind GLP-1 obesity drugs advance new approach: Drop GLP-1 as a target
Richard DiMarchi and Matthias Tschop, two scientists whose work led to today's GLP-1 drugs, are developing a new obesity drug that skips GLP-1 entirely. Their experimental compound activates GIP and glucagon receptors instead, and early animal studies suggest comparable weight loss with less nausea. It's still years from your pharmacy.
What This Means for You
Richard DiMarchi and Matthias Tschop, two scientists whose work led to today's GLP-1 drugs, are developing a new obesity drug that skips GLP-1 entirely. Their experimental compound activates GIP and glucagon receptors instead, and early animal studies suggest comparable weight loss with less nausea. It's still years from your pharmacy.
Two of the scientists most responsible for modern GLP-1 drugs think the next step is to drop GLP-1 as a drug target altogether. Richard DiMarchi and Matthias Tschop, whose earlier research underpins medications like Mounjaro and Zepbound, have published data in Molecular Metabolism on an experimental compound that activates GIP and glucagon receptors while skipping GLP-1 entirely.
The logic: GLP-1 receptor activation is what causes most of the nausea and vomiting that patients experience on current medications. If you can get the weight-loss benefits through GIP and glucagon pathways instead, you might preserve the efficacy while dramatically reducing the side effects that cause many patients to quit treatment. In rodent and monkey studies, the new compound produced weight loss comparable to existing GLP-1 drugs with fewer GI side effects. The research is funded by BlueWater Biosciences, a company DiMarchi co-founded.
This is exciting science, but it’s important to be clear about timing. There are no human trials yet. Animal studies in obesity research have a mixed track record of translating to human outcomes. Even if human trials start soon and go well, you’re looking at five to seven years before a drug like this could reach pharmacies. That’s the best-case scenario.
What it means for you today: nothing changes. If you’re on Wegovy, Zepbound, or Foundayo and it’s working, keep taking it. If nausea is a problem, talk to your provider about dose adjustments or switching between medications. Providers like Henry Meds and Hims can help you explore different GLP-1 options that may be better tolerated. Don’t stop a medication that’s working because a theoretical alternative looked good in mice.
That said, the direction matters. The GLP-1 market today is dominated by two mechanisms: semaglutide (GLP-1 only) and tirzepatide (GLP-1 plus GIP). If a GIP-plus-glucagon approach works in humans, it would be the first obesity drug to succeed without GLP-1 activity at all. That’s a meaningful shift in the science, and it comes from the same researchers who built the current generation of drugs. Worth watching, but not worth waiting for.
Source: STAT News
Frequently asked questions
If this new drug doesn’t target GLP-1, would it still be called a “GLP-1 drug”?
No. If the GIP/glucagon compound reaches the market, it would be a different drug class entirely. It wouldn’t be a GLP-1 receptor agonist because it doesn’t activate the GLP-1 receptor. It would likely be classified as a dual GIP/glucagon agonist. The distinction matters for insurance coverage, prescribing guidelines, and how doctors think about treatment sequencing. But from a patient perspective, the question that matters is whether it works and what it costs, not what class it belongs to.
Should I wait for this new drug instead of starting a GLP-1 now?
No. This compound has only been tested in animals. Human clinical trials haven’t started, and the drug development timeline from animal studies to pharmacy shelf is typically five to ten years, if it succeeds at all. Many promising animal results don’t survive human testing. If you meet the criteria for GLP-1 therapy and your doctor recommends it, starting treatment now with Foundayo at $149/month or another available GLP-1 is a better decision than waiting years for something that may never arrive.
Are there other next-generation obesity drugs closer to market?
Yes. Several drugs are further along in development. Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide (a dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist) is in Phase 3 trials with results expected in 2027. Amgen’s MariTide (anti-GIPR/GLP-1 peptide) is also in late-stage trials and could offer monthly dosing instead of weekly. Viking Therapeutics’ VK2735 is in Phase 2 with strong early weight-loss data. These are all closer to reaching patients than the DiMarchi/Tschop compound, though none are available yet.
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Frequently Asked Questions
If this new drug doesn't target GLP-1, would it still be called a "GLP-1 drug"?
Should I wait for this new drug instead of starting a GLP-1 now?
Are there other next-generation obesity drugs closer to market?
Original source
Read the full article at STAT News