Aug 20, 2026 · 52 min · 12 segments
GLP-1 receptor agonists are one of the most revolutionary new classes of drugs in decades. In this episode of Healthy Dialogue, host Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, sat down with Jens Juul Holst, MD, DMSc…
Derek AngusHost
Lotte Bjerre KnudsenGuest
Jens Juul HolstGuest
So the medicines are something that can help many people right now, but I don't think they should be the long-term solution.
But if we don't fix the underlying problem where people can live a balanced and healthy life, but while that is not in place, you know, we do have these medicines that could actually help a lot of people.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, often just now called GLP-1s, are one of the most revolutionary new class of drugs that we have seen in decades.
By now, their benefits for weight management, for controlling blood glucose and treating type 2 diabetes, and for improving cardiovascular health overall are widely known, with significant benefits also for the kidney and for liver function.
And indeed, every day we learn about new potential applications from addiction treatment to dementia risk reduction, even improved cancer survivorship.
So what is the story behind these apparent miracle drugs? And for obesity in particular, while it might be a bit dystopian to think of them as the cure for the entire obesity epidemic, they surely can play some major role.
But what is that role exactly? I'm Derek Angus, a physician and Senior Editor at JAMA, and you're listening to Healthy Dialogue.
They played crucial roles in the discovery and development of GLP-1 receptor agonists.
And today, Jens, Lotte, and I are going to discuss everything [laughs] from how these drugs came to be, concerns over cost and access, what's coming around the corner, and the potentially massive magnitude of their impact.
We're also going to get into whether these drugs represent a true solution to the global obesity epidemic or if they're just one piece of the puzzle.
Why don't we start at the beginning? Take me back to the 1970s when this all started.
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So the medicines are something that can help many people right now, but I don't think they should be the long-term solution.
But if we don't fix the underlying problem where people can live a balanced and healthy life, but while that is not in place, you know, we do have these medicines that could actually help a lot of people.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, often just now called GLP-1s, are one of the most revolutionary new class of drugs that we have seen in decades.
By now, their benefits for weight management, for controlling blood glucose and treating type 2 diabetes, and for improving cardiovascular health overall are widely known, with significant benefits also for the kidney and for liver function.
And indeed, every day we learn about new potential applications from addiction treatment to dementia risk reduction, even improved cancer survivorship.
So what is the story behind these apparent miracle drugs? And for obesity in particular, while it might be a bit dystopian to think of them as the cure for the entire obesity epidemic, they surely can play some major role.
But what is that role exactly? I'm Derek Angus, a physician and Senior Editor at JAMA, and you're listening to Healthy Dialogue.
They played crucial roles in the discovery and development of GLP-1 receptor agonists.
And today, Jens, Lotte, and I are going to discuss everything [laughs] from how these drugs came to be, concerns over cost and access, what's coming around the corner, and the potentially massive magnitude of their impact.
We're also going to get into whether these drugs represent a true solution to the global obesity epidemic or if they're just one piece of the puzzle.
Why don't we start at the beginning? Take me back to the 1970s when this all started.