The GLP-1 Clinical Trial Landscape in 2024
In 2015, researchers at Novo Nordisk published Discovery of the Once-Weekly Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Analogue Semaglutide 1. The GLP-1 receptor agonist Semaglutide would soon become a household name with the release of the blockbuster drugs Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic or Rybelsus for diabetes. GLP-1 agonists have been studied since the 1970’s for a diverse range of functions. Given the increasing interest in the GLP-1 target, we downloaded clinical trial data for ~3,800 GLP-1 related studies through July 2024 and asked, what other conditions are GLP-1 modulating drugs being tested for?
Diabetes and Obesity Dominate The GLP-1 Clinical Trial Landscape ¶
No surprises here. Of the 3,791 studies we investigated, 715 were active2 and 69% of those involved either Diabetes or Obesity.
Who is sponsoring the currently active GLP-1 diabetes and obesity studies? Of the top 10, Novo Nordisk leads with 53 active studies, while Brigham Women’s Hospital and Eli Lilly both have 8, and an assortment of research hospitals and universities round out the top 10.
| Sponsor | Active Studies |
|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk A/S | 53 |
| Brigham and Women’s Hospital | 8 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | 8 |
| Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris | 7 |
| Mayo Clinic | 7 |
| Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen | 7 |
| Radboud University Medical Center | 6 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | 5 |
| University of Aarhus | 5 |
| University of Colorado, Denver | 5 |
Heart and Cardiovascular ¶
Three years after the Semaglutide publication 3 and the SUSTAIN 1 Study results, the SELECT Study was launched. SELECT focused on the effects of semaglutide on heart disease and stroke risk in overweight or obese patients4.
In addition to Novo Nordisk’s SELECT, five active studies mention heart related5 conditions.
| NCT Num | Study Title | Status | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCT02673931 | GLP-1 and Hyperoxia for Organ Protection in Heart Surgery | Active Not Recruiting | Rigshospitalet, Denmark |
| NCT05669755 | REDEFINE 3: A Research Study to See the Effects of CagriSema in People Living With Diseases in the Heart and Blood Vessels | Recruiting | Novo Nordisk A/S |
| NCT05829018 | Elucidating the High Cardiovascular Disease Risk in South Asians | Recruiting | Leiden University Medical Center |
| NCT05071417 | Effect Of Semaglutide In Coronary Atheroma Plaque | Not Yet Recruiting | La Fundación del Instituto de Estudios de Ciencias de la Salud de Castilla y León |
| NCT06324461 | GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Reduction of Myocardial Injury After Non-cardiac Surgery | Not Yet Recruiting | The University of Hong Kong |
Addiction ¶
GLP-1 agonists have a long history with addiction related disorders 6. As of July 2024, we found 3 studies recruiting participants for addiction-related conditions. The current addiction studies are phase 2 and sponsored by universities, hospitals, or the NIH.
| NCT Num | Study Title | Status | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05895643 | Does Semaglutide Reduce Alcohol Intake in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder and Comorbid Obesity? | Recruiting participants | Psychiatric Centre Rigshospitalet |
| NCT06015893 | Semaglutide Therapy for Alcohol Reduction (STAR) | Recruiting participants | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) |
| NCT05530577 | Effects of Semaglutide on Nicotine Intake | Recruiting participants | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
Other Trials ¶
Other interesting and active GLP analog trials include:
Parkinson’s Disease (NCT03659682)
Alcohol-related Liver Disease (NCT06409130)
Acute Ischemic Stroke (NCT05630586)
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (NCT05646199, NCT05702905, and more)
For a literature review and deeper dive on this topic focused on research, see From diabetes to diverse domains: the multifaceted roles of GLP-1 receptor agonists7.
GLP-1 is a popular and versatile peptide. We will keep watching the clinical trial landscape as more GLP-1 and GLP-1 like drugs are developed.
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Lau J, Bloch P, Schäffer L, Pettersson I, Spetzler J, Kofoed J, Madsen K, Knudsen LB, McGuire J, Steensgaard DB, Strauss HM, Gram DX, Knudsen SM, Nielsen FS, Thygesen P, Reedtz-Runge S, Kruse T. Discovery of the Once-Weekly Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Analogue Semaglutide. J Med Chem. 2015 Sep 24;58(18):7370-80. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00726. Epub 2015 Sep 11. PMID: 26308095. ↩︎
We considered studies marked as “Completed”, “Suspended”, “Terminated”, “Withdrawn”, or “Unknown” as inactive or completed. Other studies were considered “active” for the purposes of this analysis. ↩︎
Lau J, Bloch P, Schäffer L, Pettersson I, Spetzler J, Kofoed J, Madsen K, Knudsen LB, McGuire J, Steensgaard DB, Strauss HM, Gram DX, Knudsen SM, Nielsen FS, Thygesen P, Reedtz-Runge S, Kruse T. Discovery of the Once-Weekly Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Analogue Semaglutide. J Med Chem. 2015 Sep 24;58(18):7370-80. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00726. Epub 2015 Sep 11. PMID: 26308095. ↩︎
Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, Deanfield J, Emerson SS, Esbjerg S, Hardt-Lindberg S, Hovingh GK, Kahn SE, Kushner RF, Lingvay I, Oral TK, Michelsen MM, Plutzky J, Tornøe CW, Ryan DH; SELECT Trial Investigators. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2023 Dec 14;389(24):2221-2232. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2307563. Epub 2023 Nov 11. PMID: 37952131. ↩︎
Conditions containing “heart”, “coronoary”, “cadrio*”, ”myo*” that did not mention diabetes were considered for this analysis. ↩︎
Klausen MK, Thomsen M, Wortwein G, Fink-Jensen A. The role of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in addictive disorders. Br J Pharmacol. 2022 Feb;179(4):625-641. doi: 10.1111/bph.15677. PMID: 34532853; PMCID: PMC8820218. ↩︎
Dave BP, Chorawala MR, Shah IV, Shah NN, Bhagat SU, Prajapati BG, Thakkar PC. From diabetes to diverse domains: the multifaceted roles of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Mol Biol Rep. 2024 Jul 23;51(1):835. doi: 10.1007/s11033-024-09793-y. PMID: 39042283. ↩︎