Rarely has a medication class reshaped treatment or a marketing landscape this quickly. Though expanded access for those who need this care is encouraging, this moment of rapid growth also calls for safeguards to protect patients.
In the past year, Eli Lilly's Foundayo (orforglipron) and Novo (formerly Novo Nordisk)'s oral Wegovy (semaglutide) tablet joined the GLP-1 class. Telehealth platforms expanded access further, and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is now offering a short-term demonstration of these medications through Part D coverage as of July 1, 2026 (CMS.gov).
Why patient education matters
As more patients ask about oral GLP-1s, health care professionals (HCPs) must be equipped to counsel accurately and empathetically. Clinical education has a strong role to play in delivering the latest data and insights on GLP-1 use, side effects, and patient education strategies.
Since these medications work primarily by suppressing appetite and slowing gastric emptying, patients still need guidance in making healthy food choices. Patients also need education on preserving lean muscle mass through resistance exercise during rapid weight loss, since muscle loss can compromise strength, bone density, and long-term metabolic health. Importantly, titration requires care as escalating the dose too quickly often triggers severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Without proper knowledge of these nuances, patients may forego a guided titration when results take longer to show.
What our research shows
As a Health Education and Outcomes fellow at Decera Clinical Education, I have worked to conduct rigorous patient-focused research that reinforces this lesson. At the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Learn to Thrive 2026, I presented outcomes from a program that paired training for primary care health care professionals with a parallel patient education track at the same practice sites.
Results demonstrated that patients want a deeper understanding of the scientific rationale behind lifestyle changes, presented in diverse educational formats, and with specific, actionable steps rather than receiving instructions alone. Currently, I am working to develop original research towards the development of a systematic framework for equitable integration of patients in the design of CME. This solution is especially important in obesity education, where patient-integrated education allows CME to capture the nuances of lived experiences in a disease state marked by marginalization and provider bias.
CME must keep pace
As innovation in obesity and endocrine care accelerates, CME must keep pace. Our proprietary Scientific Activation™ approach separates what matters in an extremely noisy treatment environment, detecting and decoding the signal that shapes clinical action, and empowering HCPs with context-driven, evidence-based insights and patient education resources. Facilitating meaningful patient discussions is how we activate clinical change and improve outcomes in this fast-evolving therapeutic area.
