Navigating the GLP-1 landscape: Strategic considerations for healthcare innovators

The world of obesity treatment is at a watershed moment—one that echoes the arrival of Herceptin in breast cancer two decades ago. GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have sparked not only clinical excitement but also commercial, policy, and health system disruption. The question isn’t just how effective these therapies are. It’s: how do we integrate them into healthcare systems meaningfully, equitably, and sustainably?

As a healthcare strategist working across NHS systems, MedTech firms, and public-private partnerships, I see this moment not as a narrow pharmaceutical trend—but as a strategic inflection point.

What’s happening and why it matters

GLP-1s are rewriting the obesity narrative. Once dismissed as a lifestyle issue, obesity is now increasingly recognised as a chronic, relapsing disease—biological, environmental, and economic in impact.

We’re seeing:

• Unprecedented efficacy in clinical trials

• Exponential demand driven by patients, clinicians, and media

• Emerging bottlenecks in cost-effectiveness thresholds, primary care readiness, and supply chains

If that sounds familiar, it should. The policy moment resembles what Herceptin did for targeted cancer therapies: a breakthrough that forced health systems to rethink access, affordability, and patient equity—fast.

The real challenge isn’t proving GLP-1 efficacy. It’s proving system fit. That means answering:

• How do we frame value beyond weight loss—towards reduced chronic disease burden?

• Can we align with NHS priorities like Core20PLUS5 and primary prevention?

• What role do digital pathways, primary care triage, and remote monitoring play?

This is where many health innovators get stuck—not due to lack of science, but due to a strategic mismatch between product promise and system readiness.

Lessons for HealthTech & Life Sciences Teams

If you’re innovating around GLP-1s—through devices, platforms, patient pathways, or adjacent services—here are three strategy imperatives:

1. Position beyond the molecule.
   Build narratives around prevention, comorbidity reduction, and workforce efficiency.

2. Embed within digital ecosystems.
   GLP-1s require long-term engagement. Digital support tools will be crucial to improve adherence and demonstrate real-world effectiveness.

3. Design for pathways, not pilots.
   Align early with ICS obesity strategies, and plan for scalability across local systems—not just clinical proof-of-concept.

Policy shifts: The clock is ticking

The Tony Blair Institute makes a powerful case: accelerated access to obesity medication isn’t just a public health issue but a national productivity issue. If we get this right, it could unlock tens of billions in reduced burden from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and workforce absenteeism.

But if we delay? Systems will remain clogged, inequities will widen, and innovation will stall in the translation gap.