The potential of GLP-1 drugs to transform medicine exploded in 2025
We knew that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy did more than just help control type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss, but the extent of that potential really came to light in 2025
Ozempic, which contains the GLP-1 drug semaglutide, was initially considered a treatment for type 2 diabetes only
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Previously hailed – or derided – as weight-loss aids for the rich and famous, drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic took on a far more expansive role in 2025. No longer just considered treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes, Ozempic gained approval in the US for treating kidney and cardiovascular disease. But far from stopping there, evidence that these drugs could transform almost every corner of medicine truly exploded this year.
There were already hints that the drugs, which mimic a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), could do far more than just manage diabetes and obesity, with studies in 2024 suggesting they reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, ease depression and anxiety and even slow cognitive decline.
At first, many assumed this was a simple side effect of weight loss, obesity being a major risk factor in so many conditions. But by early 2025, it was clear something else was going on. More detailed studies showed that people were seeing benefits to their health independent of how much weight they lost.
Researchers began to discover how GLP-1 drugs act on multiple pathways, including several tied to inflammation. They also appear to influence metabolism and brain circuits involved in motivation, reward and mood, which could explain their emerging benefits for alcohol dependency and depression.
Until recently, much of this evidence came from animal experiments or observational studies. But 2025 saw a wave of larger, randomised trials examining the drugs’ broader effects.
In January, researchers reported that people with diabetes taking GLP-1 drugs alongside standard treatment had a lower risk of 42 conditions – including dementia and muscle pain – compared with those on the standard therapy alone. It wasn’t all good news: they were also linked to a raised risk of 19 conditions, including kidney stones, but overall the benefits outweigh the harms.
Some of the most striking discoveries from the past year concern the brain. The suspected link between GLP-1 drugs and reduced addictive behaviour gained support from the first randomised clinical trial testing the idea directly.