The Medical Advisor

By Dr. Frank Yap, MD   |  Medically reviewed by One Day MD Review Team  |  Last updated: September 2026 GLP-1 medicines have moved from being primarily diabetes treatments to becoming a major platform for obesity and cardiometabolic medicine. The strongest clinical-trial evidence now extends beyond weight loss to cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, metabolic liver disease and other obesity-related complications.   But "GLP-1" is not one drug, and the studies are not interchangeable. Semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide and newer investigational medicines act on overlapping but different metabolic pathways, and the populations, doses and outcomes studied vary substantially. Key takeaway: The most important GLP-1 evidence through 2026 falls into several categories: weight loss, cardiovascular outcomes, kidney outcomes, heart failure, metabolic liver disease, diabetes control, long-term weight maintenance and next-generat...

OneDayMD Master Evidence Guide • Updated September 23, 2026 Semaglutide, tirzepatide, oral GLP-1 medicines, retatrutide and the next generation of metabolic therapies have changed the obesity and cardiometabolic treatment landscape. But the phrase “GLP-1 drug” can hide major differences in mechanism, indication, dose, study population and clinical evidence. This master guide organizes the most important clinical trials into an ebook-style reference—from the landmark STEP and SURMOUNT obesity trials to SELECT , FLOW , SUMMIT , ESSENCE , OASIS 4 , ATTAIN-1 , TRIUMPH and the emerging CagriSema program. 2026 update: The field has moved beyond injections alone. Oral semaglutide (Wegovy tablets) and orforglipron (Foundayo) are now U.S. FDA-approved options for weight management, while higher-dose semaglutide (Wegovy HD) has also entered clinical use. Retatrutide remains investigational, despite substantial Phase 3 result...