GLP-1 Weekly Pills Pens and Progress Issue 3

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Sally-Anne Turner

GLP-1 Weekly: Pills, Pens and Progress — Issue 3

The end of July is here. And what are the numbers showing about how successful the new addition of the Wegovy pill has been?

Novo Nordisk has prescribed this new medication 600,000 times, with many online pharmacies and digital doctors predicting that they may soon run into shortages. At this point, there are no official figures on how many prescriptions for this drug have been written in the UK.

Of course, research and development in the area of weight loss medication never stops. And as usual, our team at the Bodyline Clinic have been keeping up to date with all of it!

So, welcome to issue three of GLP-1 Weekly: Pills, Pens and Progress.

Once-Monthly GLP-1 Candidate

We are all aware of how often weight loss treatments like Ozempic and Mounjaro need to be injected to be effective.

However, there is a new weight loss treatment that could reduce this further. According to biopharmaceutical company Ascletis, there is a new drug going through trials with a long half-life that could reduce the number of injections needed to once a month.

This medicine, currently called ASC37, is a next-generation treatment which activates three hormone receptors, making it a triple agonist. This is a similar science to that behind the current GLP-1 medications, but it targets GLP-1, GIP and glucagon as well as an additional metabolic pathway.

It is currently being used to conduct experiments in animal models. But researchers have noted greater weight loss than tirzepatide when both treatments were given in the same dose. They also noted that this triple agonist helped the animals in the study to lose up to 41.5% of their starting body weight.

It's amazing stuff! But we need to note that these are preclinical animal studies. As is the way, more research is needed, and a move into clinical trials will look at whether or not ASC37 is safe and effective for people diagnosed as being overweight.

See the original press release here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ascletis-selects-a-next-generation-once-monthly-subcutaneously-administered-glp-1rgiprgcgr-triple-peptide-agonist-asc37-for-clinical-development-302665194.htm

GLP-1 Medicines Could Reduce Long-Term Sick Leave

We all know that GLP-1s can offer better control over blood sugar. However, there is emerging research that has suggested that using this medicine can also reduce long-term sick leave.

This study was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in July 2026. Conducted in Denmark, it looked at employment data and found that those who were taking GLP-1s had a 17.3% reduction in long-term sick leave compared to those who had not started treatment. For clarity, long-term sick leave was defined as illnesses that last over 30 days.

The researchers have noted that this is likely due to the wider benefits of these medications. Indeed, this points to lower inflammation being linked to lower chances of illness.

Interestingly, this reduction in sickness could generate benefits of around 1.3 to 1.5% of an employee's annual salary. However, this will vary based on how each country treats sick payments and the living wage. Even so, this does point towards GLP-1s delivering wider economic benefits than treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

See the original paper here: https://www.nber.org/papers/w35475

GLP-1s And Groceries: A Changing Landscape

What could you do with an additional £400 per year?

According to market research company Worldpanel by Numerato, conducted in February 2026, it was found that households with at least one GLP-1 user spent an average of £418 less per year on groceries. This may not seem like much, but scaled up, this amounts to a drop in grocery spending of £780m nationally.

Interestingly, a peer-reviewed study from Cornell University had similar findings. The research from 2024 looked at US households that had one member taking weight loss drugs and determined that during the six months following the start of medication, they spent 5% less on groceries.

Comparing shopping of GLP-1 users and non-GLP-1 users, those taking weight loss medications were buying more:

1. Long life juices
2. Prawns
3. Peaches
4. Mouthwash and chewing gum
5. Hair styling products and dyes

There was also a notable decrease in the purchasing of chocolates, baked products and alcohol.

It's not just supermarkets that are noting differences in consumer purchases. According to the New York Post, fast-food giant McDonald's is testing new foods to appeal to those taking GLP-1s like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

They are aiming to introduce food items to their menus such as:

1. Grilled chicken strips or nuggets
2. Smaller burgers with more meat and less bread
3. Lettuce-wrapped burgers
4. Cauliflower tortillas

Also, McDonald's is considering downsizing a lot of its portion sizes overall, to try and appeal to those taking GLP-1s.

So, it seems that weight loss medications are also likely to make an impact on the economy in more ways than one.

See the original paper here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5073929

There is always so much to talk about in the area of weight loss medications. But at the Bodyline Clinic, we are always on the lookout for new research and developments to explore. Our aim is to help simplify weight loss for our patients, while also offering them the clinical support they need and deserve to hit their goals. So, if you want to learn more about what we do, feel free to contact us.

Sources

The No-Hunger Games: How GLP-1 Medication Adoption is Changing Consumer Food Demand by Sylvia Hristakeva, Jura Liaukonyte, Leo Feler :: SSRN

McDonald's tests GLP-1 friendly menu items for Ozempic users

https://www.nber.org/papers/w35475

https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2026/06/11/weight-loss-drugs-wipe-780m-off-britains-grocery-bills