Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 22, 2025 3 hours, 46 minutes ago
Medical News: Once Monthly Injections Could Change Diabetes and Obesity Care
Scientists are working on a new generation of treatments that could dramatically simplify how people manage type 2 diabetes and obesity. Instead of weekly injections, new medicines are being designed to work with just one injection per month while still delivering powerful effects on blood sugar control and weight loss. This
Medical News report highlights a major review that examined the science and clinical progress behind these once monthly injectable therapies.
A new wave of monthly injections may soon simplify diabetes and obesity treatment while delivering powerful results
Who Conducted the Research?
The review was led by Héctor Iván Saldívar-Cerón from the Unidad de Remisión de Diabetes Mellitus, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He is also affiliated with the Carrera de Médico Cirujano at the same faculty and the Unidad de Biomedicina at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Tlalnepantla Mexico. The work brings together global clinical trial data and emerging drug development pipelines.
Why Monthly Treatments Matter
Current treatments for diabetes and obesity often require weekly injections, which many patients find inconvenient or tiring over time. Missed doses and treatment fatigue are common. Monthly injections could reduce this burden, improve long term adherence, and make treatment more manageable, especially for people who need lifelong therapy.
Key Drugs Leading the Way
The most advanced monthly treatment discussed is maridebart cafraglutide, also known as MariTide. This drug combines two actions in one molecule. It activates the GLP 1 receptor, which helps control appetite and blood sugar, while blocking the GIP receptor, which is linked to fat storage. In phase two clinical trials, people without diabetes lost about 12 to 16 percent of their body weight after one year. Those with type 2 diabetes lost around 8 to 12 percent. At the same time, blood sugar levels dropped significantly, with HbA1c reductions of up to 1.6 percentage points.
Safety And Side Effects
The most common side effects were nausea, vomiting, and constipation, especially early in treatment. These effects were similar to existing GLP 1 drugs and were usually mild to moderate. Importantly, serious safety problems such as severe low blood sugar or heart issues were not seen in these studies.
Other Monthly Therapies in Development
Beyond MariTide, many companies are developing ultra-long acting GLP 1 drugs, amylin based therapies, and even thyroid hormone receptor beta medicines. Some are exploring strategies where patients start with weekly doses and later switch to monthly maintenance injections. While early results are promising, many of these treatments are still in early testing stages.
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Conclusions And What Comes Next
Once monthly injections for diabetes and obesity represent a major shift in treatment design. The evidence so far suggests that these drugs can deliver strong weight loss and blood sugar control with fewer injections. However, long term safety, durability of benefits, and cardiovascular outcomes still need confirmation. Large phase three trials will decide whether monthly treatments can truly replace weekly injections and become a new standard of care.
The study findings were published on a preprint server and are currently being peer reviewed.
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202512.1726
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/diabetes