GLP-1 Drugs Discovered in Fish Research Now Treat Multiple Conditions

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Zepbound and Trulicity, originally developed for diabetes, are now proving useful for treating multiple conditions beyond weight loss and blood sugar regulation. The hormone was discovered unexpectedly in the 1980s while analyzing pancreatic genes in anglerfish, laying the groundwork for today's popular medications.

Dr. Joel Habener of Massachusetts General Hospital discovered GLP-1 while analyzing the pancreatic genes in anglerfish. His team identified the precursor to GLP-1, a hormone that regulates blood sugar by boosting insulin and suppressing glucagon after meals. Studies now indicate benefits to everything from chronic kidney disease and sleep apnea to alcohol addiction because of GLP-1's ability to reduce inflammation and improve organ health independent of weight loss.

GLP-1 isn't the only serendipitous breakthrough. Research from 2012 reported that the discovery of 6% of FDA-approved drugs involved serendipity. Viagra was developed to address chest pain and high blood pressure but was found to have the side effect of enhanced erections, leading to its approval for erectile dysfunction in 1998. Minoxidil was developed to treat peptic ulcers, then became an antihypertensive, and was later rebranded as topical Rogaine after scientists noticed unexpected hair growth in patients.

Botox was initially approved by the FDA in 1989 for crossed eyes, uncontrollable eyelid twitching and facial nerve disorders, but was later found to help reduce cosmetic wrinkles while showing potential for the treatment of chronic migraines, severe underarm sweating and overactive bladders. AZT was developed as a chemotherapy drug in the 1960s and shelved when it failed to combat tumor growth in mice, but reemerged in the 1980s as the first FDA-approved antiretroviral drug for HIV/AIDS treatment.

Thalidomide was synthesized in the 1950s for insomnia and morning sickness in pregnant women, then was linked to severe birth defects and withdrawn from the market, but has since emerged as a remedy for leprosy complications and is now used for treating multiple myeloma and lupus. Metformin used to be an antimalarial agent and a treatment for influenza before becoming a diabetes drug, and is now being studied for its potential anti-aging properties.

The global diabetes therapeutics and diagnostics market is poised for significant growth, anticipated to expand from $134.9 billion in 2025 to $241.5 billion by the close of 2030, marking a compound annual growth rate of 12.4%. Diabetes therapeutics involve both injectable therapies like Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and insulin and oral antidiabetic drugs.