GLP1's Weekly Pills Pens and Progress 9

Posted on September 15, 2026 by Sally-Anne Turner

GLP-1s Weekly Pills, Pens and Progress 9

Welcome to this week’s news brief from the Bodyline Clinic, GLP-1s Weekly Pills, Pens and Progress. In the world of GLP-1s recently, we, as a clinic and as a society, are seeing something interesting.

Rather than medications like the Wegovy pill solely being researched for their impact on blood sugar, diabetes and weight loss, they are expanding into secondary studies related to addiction, asthma and even hormonal conditions.

As fascinating as this is, and even though we will be looking at some of these other implications in this news piece, our team at the Bodyline Clinic has to state that we do not offer GLP-1s for the treatment of anything other than weight loss.

So, let’s take a look at the new research and press releases related to GLP-1s, as well as learning about a couple of potential new medications which may soon be added to the weight loss medication family.

GLP-1s and Addiction Treatments

OK, so we have written about the links that have been found between taking GLP-1s and helping with addictive behaviours. We also discussed the March 2026 BMJ study involving 600,000 veterans with type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 use was associated with a 14% lower risk of developing a substance use disorder, with reductions varying between 14% and 25% depending on the substance

However, now, a US-based telehealth company, Quel Health, has launched a new programme that is looking into the use of GLP-1s as part of treating addiction. At the time of writing, the service is available across 41 US states, with plans to expand.

How does it work? Patients receive virtual assessments and a personalised treatment plan from addiction specialists as part of Quel Health’s recovery services. The GLP-1 medication is likely to be prescribed off-label where it is clinically appropriate. This programme, which has partnered with Caron Treatment Centres, has already treated more than 600 people with substance use disorders with GLP-1 receptor agonists. The idea here is related to dopamine and the brain’s reward pathways, and the impact this will have on addiction to substances like opioids, alcohol and nicotine. Rather than looking at how to increase dopamine, the aim is to lower it to a stable level, reducing addictive tendencies.

Of course, at the Bodyline Clinic and in the UK overall, GLP-1s are currently only approved for use in weight loss or diabetes management. Even though, at the time of writing, there are estimated to be 50 clinical trials looking at the potential application for GLP-1s and addiction in the US, it is not what we, or any other clinic in the UK, can prescribe these medications for.

This is an emerging area of research, so we encourage you to watch this space.

See the study that this is based on here: https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj-2025-086886

New GLP-1s from Structure Therapeutics

In the race to get the ultimate GLP-1 on the market, Structure Therapeutics has been trialling two new treatments: alenglipron (an oral GLP-1 similar to Wegovy) and ACCG-2671. The latter is an oral dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist.

Let’s start with the results from alenglirpon.

At the 180mg dose, this tablet achieves a 16.2% weight loss of overall body weight at 72 weeks. The researchers noted no plateau in weight reduction which puts this drug in line with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill. That medication produced an average 16.6% weight reduction at 64 weeks in the OASIS-4 trial. The newer pill that has been released in the UK, Eli Lilly’s Foundayo, produced an average 12.4% weight loss at 72 weeks at the 36mg dose.

Now, the second drug from this company, ACCG-2671, targets both amylin and calcitonin receptors. It has a six-day half-life (so it is likely to be a once weekly oral dosing GLP-1) and produced evidence of weight-reduction activity in a Phase 1/2a study.

So, it seems that not only is obesity pharmacology expanding into oral GLP-1 and amylin therapies are potentially going to be a core part of combination approaches to GLP-1 therapies. Structure has started the Phase 3 ACCOMPLISH programme, although this study is not expected until the second half of 2028.

Find the study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04476-6?utm

Find the press release for ACCG-2671 here: Structure Therapeutics Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Study of Oral Small Molecule Amylin Receptor Agonist ACCG-2671 for the Treatment of Obesity | Structure Therapeutics

Asthma Attack Reduction and Semaglutide

So, in the realm of “GLP-1s are breaking out of their box,” a study that was presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide can be beneficial in the management of respiratory disease.

Researchers from Imperial College London’s National Heart & Lung Institute looked into UK electronic health records to explore whether people who are diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had fewer respiratory incidents after starting a GLP-1. The four studies, which involved around 20,000–22,000 people, compared those who had started a GLP to those prescribed a sulfonylurea, another class of diabetes medication.

As we have seen before, the strongest link was in the semaglutide group. The use of this medication was linked to an almost 40% reduction in asthma attacks. It was also associated with approximately a 20% reduction in COPD exacerbations

Now, why did this happen? Researchers suggested the anti-inflammatory effects of the medication were likely responsible. However, the researchers have also been exceedingly eager to highlight that this does not prove that GLP-1s treat asthma or COPD. The study recommended monitoring respiratory outcomes in future GLP-1 trials, particularly in people with diabetes, to assess success in this area.

At the time of writing, the paper that this is based on hasn’t been published. However, you can find the original coverage here: https://www.ersnet.org/

Remember, even though all of this research is interesting, the GLP-1s like Wegovy or Foundayo are not currently prescribed for these treatments. If you are looking for a way to lose weight with medication, our team at the Bodyline Clinic are here to help. We have over 18 years of clinical expertise helping people to lose weight safely. So, if you want to shed some weight, or you have specialised health issues that disqualify you from GLP-1 treatment with online pharmacies, or are having issues with your current GLP-1, like severe Wegovy side effects, give our friendly team at the Bodyline Clinic a call.