7 Breakthrough Weight Management Clinical Trials That Are Recruiting – Upcoming Weight Loss Drugs to Watch for in 2026
Obesity has rapidly become one of the world’s most urgent health challenges, now affecting over 1 billion people globally, including 159 million children, according to a study published by The Lancet. With continued prevention and treatment costs projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2035, researchers increasingly view obesity as a chronic disease shaped by genetics, hormones, metabolism, and environment.
The shift has fueled major breakthroughs in medical treatment, especially GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide, which have demonstrated 15–25% body-weight reduction and even reduced cardiovascular risks. Building on this success, GLP-1 medicines such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Zepbound, and Rybelsus – by pharma giants such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly – have rapidly become some of the best-selling treatments in this space. Demand for these therapies has grown so quickly that GLP-1 medications are considered among the most important drug breakthroughs of 2023–2025, with global sales expected to exceed $120 billion by 2035.
As momentum grows, clinical research is expanding into next-generation therapies for more sustained weight management. At TrialX, we help people connect with these promising studies that are reshaping the future of obesity care.
Below are some of the key recruiting clinical trials investigating weight management.
1. A Study to See How Metabolism is Influenced by Weight Loss Due to Cagrilintide + Semaglutide(CagriSema) vs. Diet
Sponsor: Novo Nordisk A/S
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study is evaluating how CagriSema—a combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide—affects the body’s metabolism compared with a structured low-calorie diet. CagriSema is an investigational therapy designed to influence appetite, energy balance, and metabolic rate. The trial aims to understand how weight loss achieved through medication differs from weight loss achieved through diet alone. It measures metabolic changes such as sleeping metabolic rate, resting metabolic rate, and 24-hour energy expenditure. These insights may reveal whether medication-driven weight loss triggers deeper metabolic improvements compared to traditional dieting.
Why It Stands Out
CagriSema represents one of the most advanced next-generation treatments in obesity medicine, combining two powerful hormonal pathways into a single therapy. Early research suggests it may deliver greater weight-loss effects than semaglutide alone, making this study significant for predicting how future combination drugs could reshape obesity care.
The trial also uses direct metabolic measurements—including MRI, DEXA, and controlled diet monitoring—to understand exactly how the body adapts to these interventions, something few weight-loss studies examine this closely.
What It Could Mean for Patients
If successful, this study could:
- Provide clearer answers about how combination GLP-1–based therapies affect metabolism
- Help determine whether medication-driven weight loss is more sustainable than diet-only approaches
- Inform future personalized treatment strategies based on metabolic responses
- Support the development of more effective combination therapies for obesity
Locations
Recruiting at two U.S. sites:
- Orlando, Florida – AdventHealth Research Institute
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Learn more about the study and check your eligibility here.
2. Tirzepatide for Adolescents With Obesity and Weight-Related Conditions- SURMOUNT-ADOLESCENTS-2 Study
Sponsor: Eli Lilly and Company
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study is looking at how tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable medication, can help adolescents with obesity who also have weight-related health issues such as high blood pressure, prediabetes, or high triglycerides. Along with healthy nutrition and physical activity support, researchers want to see how well tirzepatide can reduce body weight and improve cardiovascular risk factors in teens.
Why It Stands Out
Obesity in adolescents is rising, and many teens already face complications that can continue into adulthood. Treatment options are limited, especially ones backed by strong clinical evidence. Tirzepatide has shown significant results in adults, and this study will help determine if similar benefits can be safely achieved in younger populations. Because this trial also measures improvements in comorbidities — not just weight — it may offer a more complete understanding of how early intervention could change long-term health trajectories.
What It Could Mean for Patients
If effective, this study could lead to a new treatment option that helps teens safely achieve meaningful weight loss while also improving related conditions such as elevated blood pressure, abnormal blood sugar, or excess body fat. The results may also help clinicians personalize obesity care earlier in life, potentially preventing chronic health problems later on.
Locations
The study is actively recruiting across more than 80 locations worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, Mexico, Israel, and Taiwan.
Learn more about the study and check your eligibility here.
3. Personalized Semaglutide Dosing With the WeDosify Tool (Real-World Evidence Study)
Sponsor: Closed Loop Medicine
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study is evaluating WeDosify, a web-based clinical decision support tool that helps healthcare professionals personalize semaglutide (Wegovy) dosing for adults with overweight or obesity. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, WeDosify provides data-driven guidance that can help tailor treatment based on a patient’s progress, tolerability, and weight-loss response.
The goal is to see whether using this tool improves how consistently patients stay on semaglutide and whether it supports safer, more effective, and more individualized dosing decisions.
Why It Stands Out
Semaglutide is one of the most widely used weight-loss medications, but many people struggle with side effects or unclear dose adjustments — which often leads to stopping treatment early. This study is unique because it doesn’t test a new drug; it tests a technology designed to make existing obesity treatment more personalized and sustainable.
By focusing on real-world patients who are already taking semaglutide, this research explores how digital tools can support better adherence, fewer side effects, and improved patient-provider communication.
What It Could Mean for Patients
This study could help patients stay on treatment longer by enabling doctors to adjust semaglutide doses more accurately, leading to safer use and better weight-loss outcomes. By offering personalized guidance and clearer tracking tools, it may also improve patient understanding and engagement throughout their journey. Overall, the findings could support a smarter, more tech-assisted approach to obesity care.
Locations
Recruiting at Amarillo Premier Research (Objective Health Partnership), Amarillo, Texas
Learn more about the study and check your eligibility here.
4. Understanding Liraglutide in High-Risk Obese Participants With Cognitive and Memory Issues
Sponsor: University of Chicago
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study is exploring whether liraglutide (Saxenda) — a weight-loss medication — can also support brain health in people who are living with obesity and experiencing cognitive challenges. Participants include individuals with multiple sclerosis, long COVID, or acute leukemia in remission, all conditions linked to inflammation and memory or concentration difficulties.
Researchers are measuring how liraglutide affects Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a key protein that supports learning, memory, and overall brain function. If liraglutide can improve BDNF levels, it may offer a new therapeutic pathway for improving both metabolic health and cognitive symptoms.
Why It Stands Out
This is one of the few studies connecting GLP-1 weight-loss medications with neuroprotection. Since GLP-1 drugs are already known to influence inflammation, appetite pathways, and brain signaling, researchers believe they may also help with cognitive dysfunction — especially in conditions like MS or long COVID, where brain fog is common.
What It Could Mean for Patients
If proven effective, this study could show that liraglutide supports both weight loss and cognitive improvements, offering new options for people with memory or thinking difficulties from conditions like MS, long COVID, or cancer recovery, while helping clinicians tailor obesity treatments for patients with cognitive challenges.
Locations
Recruiting at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
Learn more about the study here.
5. Genetic Influences on Weight Loss with Naltrexone/Bupropion
Sponsor: Columbia University
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study explores how genetic differences may influence weight loss in people taking the FDA-approved medication naltrexone/bupropion (Contrave) alongside a calorie-restricted diet. Researchers are particularly interested in the Taq1A A1+ variant in the ANKK1 gene, which affects dopamine signaling, as well as other gene variants like FTO that may impact how individuals respond to the medication. By understanding these genetic factors, the study aims to identify “responders” and “non-responders” to therapy and move toward personalized obesity treatment.
Why It Stands Out
Obesity treatments often show wide variability in effectiveness. Even with approved medications, only about half of patients achieve clinically significant weight loss. This study leverages pharmacogenetics to uncover why some people benefit more than others, potentially reducing unnecessary side effects and treatment costs while improving outcomes.
What It Could Mean for Patients
If successful, the study could:
- Reveal how genetics influence response to naltrexone/bupropion
- Help clinicians tailor obesity treatments to an individual’s genetic profile
- Increase the likelihood of meaningful weight loss and reduce trial-and-error in therapy
Locations
Recruiting at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
Learn more about the study and check your eligibility here
6. Study to Explore NT-0796 as an Add-On to Semaglutide for Weight Loss (RESOLVE-2)
Sponsor: NodThera Limited
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study is evaluating whether NT-0796 — an oral anti-inflammatory drug that targets the NLRP3 pathway — can safely enhance the effects of semaglutide in adults with obesity. All participants in this trial will receive standard semaglutide treatment, while some will also take NT-0796 twice a day to see if the combination leads to greater weight loss or better metabolic improvements.
Why It Stands Out
This is one of the first clinical trials to test a targeted anti-inflammatory medication alongside a GLP-1 drug. Obesity is increasingly understood as a metabolic and inflammatory condition, not just a hormonal one. NT-0796 is designed to block NLRP3 — a key inflammasome involved in weight gain, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction. If this approach works, it could represent a new generation of combination therapies that go beyond appetite suppression and address deeper biological drivers of obesity.
What It Could Mean for Patients
If successful, this combination could offer stronger and more sustained weight loss for people who haven’t reached their goals with semaglutide alone. Targeting inflammation may also help improve metabolic health, waist circumference, and the likelihood of hitting key weight-loss milestones such as 5%, 10%, or 15% reduction. Importantly, the study also focuses on safety and tolerability, helping determine whether this add-on therapy can be used without increasing side effects.
Locations
Currently recruiting across 10 U.S. sites, including Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia.
Learn more about eligibility and study details here.
7. Alternative Therapies to Maintain Weight Loss After GLP-1 Use
Sponsor: AgelessRx
What It’s Testing and Why It Matters
This study is testing whether metformin, metformin + rapamycin, or metformin + low-dose naltrexone (LDN) can help people maintain weight loss after stopping GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Wegovy. Participants will gradually taper off their GLP-1 drug while starting one of these alternative therapies. Researchers will track weight, metabolic health, quality of life, and side effects over six months to see which approach best prevents weight regain.
Why It Stands Out
Stopping GLP-1 therapy often leads to weight regain, and few strategies exist to support patients afterward. This trial is one of the first to evaluate non-GLP-1 medications as follow-up therapies for long-term weight management. By testing combinations of metformin, rapamycin, and LDN, the study explores ways to maintain weight loss while also supporting metabolic health, mood, and overall wellness.
What It Could Mean for Patients
This research could provide practical options for people transitioning off GLP-1 therapy, helping them keep weight off, improve metabolic markers, and maintain overall quality of life. It may also guide safer, more effective long-term strategies for obesity management beyond GLP-1 medications.
Locations
Currently recruiting at AgelessRx in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Check eligibility and study details here.
Supporting the Future of Obesity Care
Clinical research is essential for developing safer and more effective weight-management treatments. By participating in these studies, patients help shape the next generation of therapies that could advance obesity management. At TrialX, we strive to connect people with ongoing clinical trials so they can explore new treatment options and contribute to meaningful scientific progress.
For those looking to stay informed or get involved, organizations such as the World Obesity Federation, The Obesity Society, and Obesity Association provide valuable resources and updates on research and best practices in long-term weight management. You can also visit TrialX.com to browse current weight management trials or sign up for our volunteer registry to receive notifications about new studies.
