GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists)
GLP-1s are a class of medications that mimic the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 — originally developed for type 2 diabetes, now the drug class behind the modern medical weight-loss market and the largest category in DTC telehealth.
- Hormone-mimicking class: appetite, gastric emptying, insulin response
- Semaglutide and liraglutide lead the single-agonist class
- The largest and most operationally demanding DTC category
- Class is expanding into dual and triple agonists
The class, briefly
GLP-1 receptor agonists slow gastric emptying, improve insulin response, and reduce appetite signaling. Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, oral Rybelsus) and liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) are the flagship single agonists; the class extended into dual GLP-1/GIP agonism with tirzepatide and continues into multi-agonist candidates like retatrutide. Weekly injection is the dominant form, with oral formulations expanding.
Why GLP-1s reshaped digital health
GLP-1s turned weight management into a mainstream, protocol-driven, recurring-revenue category almost overnight — motivated cash-pay patients, monthly titration touchpoints, and long treatment durations. They also imported every hard operational problem at once: supply shortages and the compounding saga they triggered, payer coverage fights and prior-authorization walls, per-state prescribing sensitivities, and intense regulatory attention on marketing claims. A GLP-1 program is the full telehealth-operations curriculum in one product line.
What a compliant GLP-1 program requires
Licensed-clinician evaluation with real contraindication screening, titration management tied to refills, a sourcing strategy built for the post-shortage rules (patient-specific compounding with strong documentation, branded products, direct cash-pay channels, coverage navigation), and marketing that stays inside health-claim rules. The categories separating durable programs from casualties: clinical follow-through and supply resilience, not funnel optimization.
The approved products, mapped
Clinicians may prescribe within their judgment, but programs should be built and marketed around the on-label product for their category:
| Product | Molecule | Indication | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic | semaglutide | Type 2 diabetes | Weekly injection |
| Wegovy | semaglutide | Weight management + CV risk | Weekly injection |
| Rybelsus | semaglutide | Type 2 diabetes | Daily oral |
| Saxenda | liraglutide | Weight management | Daily injection |
| Mounjaro | tirzepatide | Type 2 diabetes | Weekly injection |
| Zepbound | tirzepatide | Weight management + sleep apnea | Weekly injection |
Where the class is heading
Three currents matter to operators. Multi-agonism: dual agonists outperformed singles, and triple agonists are in late-stage trials — catalog breadth becomes a competitive surface as the class fragments. Oral formulations: higher-dose oral semaglutide and oral small-molecule candidates aim at the needle-averse market. And price competition: manufacturer direct-to-patient channels keep resetting cash-pay economics downward, which grows the total market a program can serve. The programs positioned for all three are the ones whose catalog is a configuration, not a rebuild.
Compliance handled, so you can build
Lithos runs the clinicians, pharmacies, and 50-state rules behind your care program — one API.
Frequently asked questions
Which GLP-1s are FDA-approved for weight loss?
Semaglutide (Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) among single agonists, and tirzepatide (Zepbound) as a dual agonist — with the diabetes-branded versions of the same molecules prescribed off-label at clinician discretion.
Can telehealth programs prescribe GLP-1s?
Yes — they are non-controlled medications prescribable via telehealth under state modality rules, with clinician evaluation and appropriate follow-up.
Are compounded GLP-1s still available?
Yes, through the patient-specific pathway — compounding tailored to an individual patient’s documented clinical needs. The broad shortage-era window closed in 2024–2025.