Obesity and diabetes have been two of the greatest public health challenges for decades. Many different diets and fads have promised the public a quick fix and a path to losing excess weight or resolving their diabetic issues. Recently, a new class of drugs, based on GLP-1, are revolutionizing medicine and the treatment of patients with diabetes, obesity, and other disorders associated with obesity. GLP-1 is a short-acting hormone that is released after eating. This hormone helps regulate glucose levels in the body by causing the pancreas to release insulin, which lowers sugar levels in the blood.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved many drugs in this class over the past couple of years including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound to name a few. These drugs are approved to treat different conditions, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, and are now being tested for treatments far beyond obesity and diabetes. Studies to treat cardiovascular disease, addictive behavior, and rheumatologic diseases are just a few of the ongoing trials. Together, this new class of drugs could lead to sales in the tens of billions of dollars in the upcoming years. The growing demand of GLP-1’s raises many legal and business questions. These questions range from intellectual property rights, FDA/regulatory concerns, and potential litigation issues. In this blog series, we will be addressing these questions and how you and your organization can rely on Foley to assist you with these matters, whether it’s pharmaceutical transactions, regulatory, clinical trial, or litigation concerns.
