UAE has 15 GLP-1 studies on record but only 1 is recruiting or active now

Only 1 of the 15 registered studies of GLP-1 and related medicines with a site in the UAE is recruiting or active now, according to the Zavis GLP-1 and Peptides Monitor. The monitor read public study registries on 19 October 2026. Across the six GCC countries there are 35 such studies on record. Of these, 10 are recruiting or active and 7 are recruiting.

These numbers matter to hospitals and clinics that want to host research. They also matter to insurers estimating future demand for these medicines and to patients who want to know whether local studies are open. Saudi Arabia has 5 studies recruiting or active and Kuwait has 4. The UAE's single active study is a Phase 3 study of orforglipron sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company. That study also has a site in Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf study pipeline

Zavis analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov, the US National Library of Medicine's public study registry, shows 15 studies of GLP-1 and related medicines with a UAE site and 15 with a site in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait has 8 and Qatar has 2. The registry shows no such studies with a site in Bahrain or Oman.

Semaglutide accounts for the most GCC studies, with 12 on record and 2 recruiting or active. Liraglutide follows with 9 and tirzepatide with 5. Survodutide has 3 GCC studies, 2 of them recruiting or active. Both of those are Phase 3 studies sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim with sites in Saudi Arabia. In Kuwait, Dasman Diabetes Institute is the lead sponsor of several recruiting studies, including studies of tirzepatide. In Qatar, a liraglutide study sponsored by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar is listed as active but not recruiting.

GLP-1 and related studies recruiting or active at GCC sites

Registry ID	Medicines	Lead sponsor	Phase	Status	GCC countries
NCT07613307	orforglipron	Eli Lilly and Company	Phase 3	Recruiting	United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
NCT07614412	semaglutide	Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia	Phase 2	Not yet recruiting	Saudi Arabia
NCT07574723	tirzepatide	Dasman Diabetes Institute	Not applicable	Recruiting	Kuwait
NCT07096908	tirzepatide	Dasman Diabetes Institute	Phase 4	Recruiting	Kuwait
NCT06885736	Class named, no medicine	Dasman Diabetes Institute	Not applicable	Recruiting	Kuwait
NCT06632444	survodutide	Boehringer Ingelheim	Phase 3	Recruiting	Saudi Arabia
NCT06632457	survodutide	Boehringer Ingelheim	Phase 3	Recruiting	Saudi Arabia
NCT06571383	semaglutide	Novo Nordisk A/S	Phase 4	Active not recruiting	Saudi Arabia
NCT06374875	Class named, no medicine	The Cleveland Clinic	Phase 4	Recruiting	Kuwait
NCT02879409	liraglutide	Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar	Not applicable	Active not recruiting	Qatar

What the US and EU approved or changed

In the 90 days to 19 October, the US Food and Drug Administration approved 8 submissions for GLP-1 medicines, according to Zavis analysis of openFDA records. The count covers both original applications and supplements. Of these, 3 were efficacy supplements, which cover new or changed uses. They went to 2 medicines, Mounjaro and Zepbound, both tirzepatide, and were approved on 27 and 26 August 2026. The other approvals in the period were labelling supplements for synthetic exenatide, Ozempic and Foundayo (orforglipron). The FDA approved no original generic GLP-1 applications in the period.

US FDA approvals for GLP-1 medicines in the last 90 days

Date	Medicine	Application	Approval	Category	Submissions
2 October 2026	Exenatide synthetic (exenatide)	ANDA206697	Supplement	Labeling	3
27 August 2026	Ozempic (semaglutide)	NDA209637	Supplement	Labeling	1
27 August 2026	Mounjaro (tirzepatide)	NDA215866	Supplement	Efficacy	2
26 August 2026	Zepbound (tirzepatide)	NDA217806	Supplement	Efficacy	1
4 August 2026	Foundayo (orforglipron)	NDA220934	Supplement	Labeling	1

In the European Union, 13 GLP-1 and related medicines are authorised through the centralised procedure, according to the European Medicines Agency's medicines data. Of these, 4 were first authorised in the last 12 months. They are Kyinsu (insulin icodec and semaglutide) on 24 November 2025, Kayshild (semaglutide) on 26 March 2026, and Ablymico and Liraglutide STADA, both liraglutide, on 15 July 2026. One more medicine, Foundayo, has a committee opinion and is awaiting a marketing authorisation decision. Lyxumia and Bydureon are listed as withdrawn.

The FDA drug shortage list also has GLP-1 entries. It lists 9 GLP-1 presentations as current shortages, and every one is a liraglutide injection, including Victoza and Saxenda presentations. Another 5 presentations are listed as to be discontinued, including Rybelsus tablets. These entries cover the US market. They do not describe supply in the UAE or the wider GCC.

Five peptides, 29 registered studies

ClinicalTrials.gov holds 29 registered studies worldwide for five peptides with no US approval on record: thymosin beta-4 (TB-500), BPC-157, ipamorelin, GHK-Cu and CJC-1295. That count is for all five combined. Semaglutide alone has 788 registered studies, with 109 of them showing posted results. Tirzepatide has 303 registered studies, with 47 showing posted results.

Among the five, thymosin beta-4 (TB-500) has the most registered studies, 18, and 8 of them show posted results. BPC-157 has 4 registered studies, ipamorelin 3, GHK-Cu 3 and CJC-1295 1. None of these four shows any posted results. Two other peptides in the table, tesamorelin and sermorelin, have a US approval on record. They have 24 and 27 registered studies respectively.

Registered studies on ClinicalTrials.gov: GLP-1 medicines and other peptides

Substance	Registered studies worldwide	With results posted	US approval on record (Drugs@FDA)
Semaglutide	788	109	Yes
Tirzepatide	303	47	Yes
Tesamorelin	24	10	Yes
Sermorelin	27	11	Yes
Thymosin beta-4 (TB-500)	18	8	No
BPC-157	4	0	No
Ipamorelin	3	0	No
GHK-Cu (copper peptide)	3	0	No
CJC-1295	1	0	No

A registered study shows that research is taking place. It is not evidence that a substance works or is safe. Counts are matched by name, and some studies may include a substance only as a comparator. Peptides can also be sold under names that differ from the registered ones, and the counts cover only the names shown.

Obesity rates for context

World Health Organization estimates for 2024 put adult obesity at 42% in Qatar, the highest of the six GCC countries. Kuwait follows at 40.4% and Saudi Arabia at 40.1%. The UAE ranks fifth of the six at 31.6%, ahead of Oman at 30.5%. The figures are age-standardised.

Adults with obesity in the GCC (WHO, age-standardised)

Country	Adults with obesity (%)	Year
Qatar	42	2024
Kuwait	40.4	2024
Saudi Arabia	40.1	2024
Bahrain	34.9	2024
United Arab Emirates	31.6	2024
Oman	30.5	2024

What it means

Operators: The UAE has as many GLP-1 studies on record as Saudi Arabia but far fewer open now. Hospitals that want to host research can check the public registry for studies that are recruiting at Gulf sites.

Insurers: New EU authorisations and US efficacy supplements change the formal record of approved products and uses. Benefit reviews may need to follow that record as it changes.

Patients: Before joining a study, check its registry entry for its status and its sites. Decisions about any medicine or peptide belong with a licensed doctor.