GLP-1 companies reshape access and detail treatment dropouts
Companies described changes to medication access and emphasized treatment persistence through discontinuation data, support programs and maintenance-dosing studies.
Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS), which offers weight-loss care through its platform, said it shifted its U.S. offering in March toward access to branded GLP-1 medications, with compounded products available “on a limited scale.” The company also launched a weight-loss membership program and repeated the description of its strategic shift in August.
Hims & Hers continued to flag uncertainty over potential federal action after an announced referral to the Justice Department, saying enforcement could bring operational disruptions, reputational harm or increased costs. For virtual-care provider Omada Health, Inc. (OMDA), affordability remained an explicit constraint on coverage. Its May and August language was unchanged: employers and health plans face increasing pressure to balance access with cost, making broad GLP-1 coverage difficult. Omada said its companion programs are designed to support customers that cover the medications.
Companies also emphasized oral treatment as a route to broader use. Structure Therapeutics Inc. (GPCR), which presented estimates of oral obesity-medication uptake, cited more than 1.4 million U.S. patients taking oral GLP-1 medications in September, based on branded prescription data and estimates. Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX), which listed dual GLP/GIP candidates in its development pipeline, described convenience, needle avoidance and adverse effects as current treatment challenges. It characterized oral and more effective agents as attractive options for a chronic condition, citing an estimate that only about 5% of eligible patients receive drug treatment.
WW International, Inc. (WW), the provider of Weight Watchers programs, broadened its emphasis from reported weight-loss outcomes to access and continued care. In May, the company cited an internal analysis in which selected Med+ members with self-reported starting and month-12 weights lost an average of 21% of body weight; it cautioned that comparison cohorts differed in their inclusion criteria, medication types and follow-up duration. In August, WW described new medication-access pathways and efforts to secure the lowest possible price through insurance or out-of-pocket payment. It also emphasized research indicating that many patients discontinue treatment and regain weight afterward.
Obesity-drug developer MBX Biosciences, Inc. (MBX) made discontinuation a specific argument for improved tolerability. It cited commissioned market research reporting that 65% of patients without type 2 diabetes discontinued liraglutide, semaglutide or tirzepatide within one year, and linked discontinuation to rapid weight regain. Biohaven Ltd. (BHVN), a drug developer presenting obesity research, similarly highlighted discontinuation and subsequent regain. The company described gastrointestinal side effects as the most common reasons for stopping treatment, placing tolerability alongside weight loss in its discussion of obesity medicines.
Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (CRBP), which is developing CRB-913, added detailed discontinuation reporting between May and September. In May, its presentation contextualized short-term weight-loss observations across separate oral-drug studies and explicitly cautioned that they “do not represent head-to-head comparisons.” Its September presentation separately tabulated overall treatment discontinuations and adverse-event treatment discontinuations for CRB-913 and oral GLP-1 comparators, alongside their different study durations.
GLP-1 adoption also received an explicit revenue warning from Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (INSP), the provider of Inspire therapy. The company said increasing prevalence and adoption of GLP-1s were adversely affecting its revenue in the short term. Its longer-term outlook remains qualified: Inspire said some patients could reduce their BMI into its treatment indication and still require further treatment for OSA. The company believes that could increase eligibility for Inspire therapy, adding that “there can be no assurance of such benefit.”
Developers described studies addressing maintenance dosing and tolerability. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX), an obesity-drug developer, said in April that its maintenance-dosing trial continued alongside Phase 3 activities and that it expected data in the third quarter. MBX reported preliminary blinded observations from eight participants, including two receiving placebo, and described MBX 4291 as generally well tolerated, with no serious adverse events. Its May timetable called for data from a 12-week cohort in the fourth quarter of 2026, providing a stated next milestone for its tolerability-focused program.