News Health & Medicine

An injected gel could make drugs like Ozempic last longer

Less frequent dosing of GLP-1 drugs would be easier for patients

A syringe filled with blue hydrogel rests in front of a pile of orange-capped syringes.

A hydrogel (blue) mixed with weight loss drugs could one day give patients a long-lasting treatment option, replacing the need for weekly injections.

Andrea Ivana d'Aquino

By Meghan Rosen

An unusual way to deliver drugs gives new meaning to the term “Jell-O shot.”

Injected into rats, a water-based gel mixed with the key ingredients in Ozempic or Mounjaro offered long-lasting diabetes treatment, scientists report July 5 at bioRxiv.org.