UAE has 15 registered GLP-1 studies on record, but only 1 is recruiting or active now
Across the GCC, the Zavis GLP-1 and Peptides Monitor counts 35 registered studies of GLP-1 and related medicines, with 10 recruiting or active now.
How Zavis verifies this coverage
Editorial standards, source rules, methodology, and review provenance are public.
Key findings
- 15 registered GLP-1 studies have had a UAE site, all time; 1 is recruiting or active now
- 35 registered studies of GLP-1 and related medicines have had a GCC site, with 10 recruiting or active now
- The US FDA approved 8 GLP-1 submissions in the 90 days to 30 October 2026
- 9 GLP-1 presentations are current shortages on the US FDA drug shortage list
- Five peptides with no US approval on record have 30 registered studies worldwide combined
The UAE gets oral Wegovy, but doctors warn the pill isn't a shortcut to lasting weight loss, according to a Khaleej Times report.
What the data shows
Few studies of these medicines are under way at UAE sites. Zavis analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov, the public study registry run by the US National Library of Medicine, finds 15 registered studies of GLP-1 and related incretin medicines with a site in the UAE, all time. Of these, 1 is recruiting or active now.
Across the GCC, the Zavis GLP-1 and Peptides Monitor counts 35 registered studies. Of these, 10 are recruiting or active now and 7 are recruiting. Saudi Arabia also has 15 studies on record, with 5 recruiting or active. Kuwait has 8, with 4 recruiting or active.
| Country | Studies (all time) | Recruiting or active now |
|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 15 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 15 | 5 |
| Qatar | 2 | 1 |
| Kuwait | 8 | 4 |
| Bahrain | 0 | 0 |
| Oman | 0 | 0 |
The one active study with a UAE site is NCT07613307, a Phase 3 study of orforglipron sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company. It is recruiting at sites in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Semaglutide, the active substance listed for Wegovy in the EU register, has 793 registered studies worldwide, 110 of them with results posted. In the GCC, 12 studies involve semaglutide, and 2 are recruiting or active now.
Regulators outside the region continue to act on the class. The US Food and Drug Administration approved 8 submissions for GLP-1 medicines in the 90 days to 30 October 2026. Of these, 3 were efficacy supplements, which cover new or changed uses. They covered 2 medicines, Mounjaro and Zepbound, both tirzepatide. None was an original generic approval. The European Medicines Agency's register lists 13 GLP-1 and related medicines authorised through the centralised procedure. Of these, 4 were first authorised in the last 12 months. Wegovy's EU record was last updated on 26 October 2026.
US supply records show strain. The FDA drug shortage list carries 9 GLP-1 presentations as current shortages, all of them liraglutide injection. It lists 5 as to be discontinued, including Rybelsus semaglutide tablets.
The record is much thinner for five peptides with no US approval on record: thymosin beta-4 (TB-500), BPC-157, ipamorelin, GHK-Cu and CJC-1295. Together they have 30 registered studies worldwide. Of the five, only thymosin beta-4 has studies with results posted, at 8.
| Substance | Registered studies worldwide | With results posted | US approval on record (Drugs@FDA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | 793 | 110 | Yes |
| Tirzepatide | 309 | 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) | 4 | 0 | No |
| CJC-1295 | 1 | 0 | No |
World Health Organization figures put the share of UAE adults with obesity at 31.6% in 2024, age-standardised. The rate was 42% in Qatar and 40.4% in Kuwait.
What it means
For UAE hospitals and clinics, the registry points to a gap in research activity. The UAE has as many studies on record as Saudi Arabia, but only 1 is recruiting or active now. That leaves UAE patients few ways to join studies of these medicines, and leaves local operators with less research of their own to draw on.
For insurers and investors, the obesity figures show how large the adult population with obesity is in each Gulf market. The US and EU records show regulators still adding approvals and changes for the class. The FDA shortage list covers the US market only. It does not describe supply in the UAE or the GCC.
For patients, a registered study shows that research is happening. It is not evidence that a medicine works or is safe. Counts are matched by name and can include studies where the substance is only a comparator. Decisions about any of these medicines belong with a licensed doctor.
Sources
Zavis Intelligence Team
Editorial Desk
The Zavis Intelligence Team byline is used for news data briefs from the Zavis Intelligence Desk. Each brie...
