Analysis highlights potential for benefits far beyond obesity, signalling a new era of multi-disease prevention and care

New analysis from Phesi has revealed that more than 100 diseases are now being studied in relation to GLP-1 receptor antagonists. The review covered 583 recruiting or imminent clinical trials and included both direct evaluations of GLP-1s as interventions and investigations of comorbidities and modulatory effects.

The analysis draws on real-world data from Phesi’s Trial Accelerator platform and a newly published Digital Patient Profile (DPP) of GLP-1 patients. Indications under investigation span cardiovascular disease, polycystic ovary disease, osteoarthritis and multiple cancers.

“Scientific curiosity is increasingly centered on understanding how weight and metabolic factors intersect with other disease areas, including cardiovascular, inflammatory and neurological conditions,” said Gen Li, founder and president, Phesi.

“The data show a clear trajectory – GLP-1s began in diabetes, moved into obesity, and now we’re seeing increasing application across a spectrum of diseases with shared risk profiles. The goal for the industry is not just treating obesity, but treating the entire constellation of conditions associated with it. GLP-1s are forcing a re-evaluation of how we define, diagnose and treat disease – prevention is emerging as the new blockbuster. With the right data, sponsors can target the right patients earlier, saving time, money and lives.”

Phesi’s analysis also showed that patients often present overlapping conditions such as hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia. This suggests GLP-1 therapies are increasingly targeting systemic disease clusters rather than single indications. In some trials, GLP-1s are being explored adjunctively in non-obesity treatments such as osteoarthritis, where early findings indicate potential synergistic effects.

The growth in GLP-1 use is impacting trial operations. Obesity trial durations have extended significantly over the past two decades, with studies that once ran 10–20 months now taking 25–45 months.

“GLP-1s have the potential to reshape how we think about disease prevention, not just treatment. And as GLP-1 usage grows, the volume of real-world data is increasing rapidly,” added Jonathan Peachey, chief operating officer, Phesi.

“This may present a challenge to clinical development with competition and recruitment bottlenecks. But it also offers both an opportunity and a solution. Sophisticated clinical data analytics combining real-world data and disease modelling will unlock insights that optimize clinical operations, reduce costs, drive down patient and investigator site burden, and enhance regulatory strategies. These insights will also afford sponsors and clinicians deeper understanding of longitudinal outcomes in treated patients and provide data that can be fed back into analysis.”

Phesi’s DPP draws on data from nearly 1.9m patients treated with GLP-1 inhibitors in 69,652 hospitals and clinics across 81 countries over the last 20 years. The analysis confirmed that fasting plasma glucose concentration correlates with HbA1c but found no clear link between BMI and HbA1c, underlining that BMI is not always an accurate measure of health.

By providing a statistical view of real-world patient attributes – including demographics, comorbidities and baseline outcomes – DPPs support better trial design, digital twin development and faster site identification. This enables sponsors to accelerate clinical development timelines while improving data quality in a therapeutic landscape increasingly defined by GLP-1 convergence.