WHAT'S NEW IN GLP-1 TREATMENT

The landscape keeps changing.

GLP-1 and related metabolic treatments continue to develop quickly. New safety information is emerging, oral treatment is expanding, and several next-generation medicines are moving through late-stage trials and regulatory review.

Body Compass follows the developments that may meaningfully affect people using, considering or living alongside these treatments — without treating every headline as a breakthrough.

Information reviewed: August 14, 2026

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Safety Update

Australia updates GLP-1 warnings following review of a rare eye condition

In July 2026, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration updated safety information across the GLP-1 receptor agonist class following continued investigation of a rare but serious eye condition called non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, or NAION.

NAION can cause sudden loss of vision and, in some cases, permanent visual impairment.

The evidence is not identical for every medicine in the class. The TGA notes that available evidence has been conflicting and that the signal has been stronger for semaglutide than for some other GLP-1 medicines. Nevertheless, product information has been updated across the class in Australia.

What matters for patients

Sudden loss of vision, including partial loss of vision, requires urgent medical assessment.

This does not mean that everyone using a GLP-1 medicine is likely to develop NAION. It remains a rare condition. The important change is that patients and healthcare professionals now have clearer safety information about what deserves urgent attention.

Body Compass perspective: Safety information can continue to evolve after a medicine has entered widespread use. Knowing what deserves attention is different from expecting something to go wrong.

The Australian TGA published the class-wide update on July 23, 2026. (Therapeutic Goods Administration)

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Research Update

Retatrutide reaches another major Phase 3 milestone

Retatrutide continues to attract considerable attention as a potential next-generation obesity treatment. Unlike current GLP-1-only or dual-agonist treatments, retatrutide acts on three hormone receptors: GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon.

In July, Eli Lilly announced topline results from two additional Phase 3 studies.

In TRIUMPH-2, involving adults with obesity or overweight and type 2 diabetes, participants receiving the highest studied dose lost an average of 20.8% of body weight at 80 weeks.

In TRIUMPH-3, involving adults with severe obesity and established cardiovascular disease, average weight reduction reached 22.6% at 80 weeks at the highest studied dose.

These are substantial results — but an important distinction remains:

Retatrutide is still investigational. It is not currently an approved treatment.

The results announced in July are company-reported topline Phase 3 findings. Full publication and regulatory review will provide a more complete picture of efficacy, adverse effects, durability and clinical use. Lilly says it plans to submit retatrutide to the FDA in the first quarter of 2027. (Eli Lilly and Company)

Body Compass perspective: A large weight-loss percentage is important evidence, but it is not the entire treatment story. Safety, tolerability, body composition, maintenance, access and what happens in everyday life matter too.

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Oral Treatment Update

Oral Wegovy expands into Europe

The move toward oral obesity treatment took another significant step in July. The European Commission granted marketing authorization for once-daily oral Wegovy — semaglutide 25 mg — for adults with obesity, or overweight with at least one weight-related health condition.

This follows its earlier authorization in the United States. The European Commission also approved the higher-dose 7.2 mg injectable Wegovy in a single-dose pen. (Novo Nordisk)

This does not mean oral Wegovy is now available everywhere. Regulatory approval, commercial launch, reimbursement, prescribing arrangements and supply are different questions and vary by country.

Why this matters

For years, injectable treatment defined much of the public image of GLP-1 therapy. That landscape is changing. Oral treatments may eventually offer another option for some people, but a tablet does not automatically mean a simpler treatment decision. Administration requirements, effectiveness, side effects, cost, access and individual suitability still matter.

Body Compass perspective: The future is increasingly likely to include different routes of treatment. The useful question will not simply be tablet or injection? It will be what are the meaningful differences, and which questions belong in the clinical conversation?

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On the Horizon

CagriSema moves closer to an FDA decision

Another treatment moving through the regulatory pipeline is CagriSema, a once-weekly investigational injection combining semaglutide with cagrilintide, an analogue of the hormone amylin.

Novo Nordisk submitted CagriSema to the U.S. FDA for weight management in December 2025. The company currently expects an FDA decision in Q4 2026. (Novo Nordisk)

CagriSema has produced substantial weight reductions across its Phase 3 research program, although the evidence is more nuanced than a single headline number suggests. In the head-to-head REDEFINE 4 trial reported in February, CagriSema produced significant weight loss but did not meet the trial's primary objective of demonstrating non-inferiority to tirzepatide for weight loss. (Novo Nordisk)

That nuance matters.

Body Compass perspective: Pipeline medicines should be followed with interest rather than certainty. Regulatory review, comparative evidence, adverse effects and real-world experience all matter before the place of a new treatment becomes clear.

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What Body Compass Is Watching Next

• further regulatory decisions affecting oral obesity medicines;
• the FDA review of CagriSema;
• fuller publication of the retatrutide Phase 3 evidence;
• emerging safety information across the GLP-1 and incretin-treatment landscape;
• what new treatments may mean for maintenance, changing treatment and long-term care;
• and, importantly, whether new medications are accompanied by better education for the people expected to live with them.

Because a new treatment option does not remove the need for navigation.

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Information reviewed August 14, 2026. Medication approvals, indications, availability, reimbursement and regulatory guidance vary by country and can change. Body Compass provides general, evidence-informed education and does not provide individualised medical advice, diagnosis, prescribing or medication adjustment. Treatment questions should be discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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