GLP-1 and related incretin drugs, made famous by Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, are being tested for conditions far beyond diabetes and weight loss. A review of at least 1,800 registered human trials found that the share starting each year for other diseases has risen from about one in fourteen fifteen years ago to roughly one in four today. The research now spans fifteen disease areas. Addiction leads among recent trials, followed by heart, kidney and liver conditions and cancer. Examples include semaglutide trials for alcohol use disorder and Alzheimer’s, tirzepatide research on biological aging, and studies of drugs in the class for heart failure and fatty-liver disease.
The expansion reflects both the drugs’ effects across organs - including the brain, heart and kidneys - and strong commercial and academic incentives to investigate new uses. Some studies have advanced beyond early safety testing, but registration records only an intention to investigate: it does not show that a treatment works, and most trials fail. The registry reviewed is American, so it misses some studies conducted solely elsewhere. The analysis argues that the pipeline is broadening quickly, with heart or liver disease the likeliest areas for a first approval outside diabetes before the end of the decade. Until trial results establish benefits and risks, these possibilities remain research questions, not proven treatments.
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