New Study Shows Scripps Patients Maintained Weight Loss After Reducing GLP-1 Treatment Frequency
Scripps Clinic physicians reported clinical study findings in Obesity medical journal
San Diego, CA, Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the most common questions patients ask when deciding if they should go on an injectable weight loss drug is whether they will have to take the prescription every week for the rest of their lives.
Until now, the official answer to that question has been “yes” based on existing guidelines. But a newly published study from Scripps Clinic physicians offers evidence that less frequent options might be possible.
Scripps Clinic obesity and internal medicine specialist Mitch Biermann, M.D., Ph.D., and Scripps Clinic internal medicine resident Michelle Wong, M.D., report in the medical journal Obesity that most participants in their small clinical study sustained their peak weight loss from the popular medications even after reducing the dose frequency to once every two weeks and, for some patients, as infrequently as once every six weeks.
Similarly, weight-related metabolic measurements for blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL (“good” cholesterol) and HbA1c (a measure for diabetes risk) held steady at their best levels or even improved following the reduction in dose frequency.
“The current GLP-1 standard of care gets a patient to their maximum amount of weight loss, but once that plateau is reached, there is no protocol for an appropriate reduced dose schedule to maintain that result or even to wean them off the medication,” Dr. Biermann said. “Our clinical investigation provides examples of an approach that is often highly successful at lowering dose frequency and potentially a strong motivator for patients to begin taking the medication in the first place.”
Many people who go on GLP-1 weight loss medications, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, pay for the prescriptions themselves because the drugs typically aren’t covered by health insurance plans. Individual weekly doses can cost hundreds of dollars. Some patients also are hesitant to start a drug they will have to take long-term because they worry about the consequences of being on the medication for years to come.
Having the option to reduce the frequency of GLP-1 doses could lower the out-of-pocket cost for the prescription while reducing the overall medication burden for the patient.
Scripps study did not evaluate microdosing
Dr. Biermann noted that the dosing frequency he and his colleague studied in their clinical investigation was not the same as microdosing, a practice popularized by some celebrities and social media influencers that involves taking a smaller-than-recommended amount of the treatment. He said all medications should be taken as prescribed by physicians and as recommended by Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
The retrospective case study, which was supported by a research grant from Scripps Clinic Medical Group, included 30 patients who reduced their GLP-1 dose frequency for an average of 36 weeks. Twenty-one participants were on standard prescription doses of tirzepatide and nine were taking semaglutide.
While on the reduced dose frequency, patients on average experienced a slight additional loss of weight. Average Hba1c and blood pressure were unchanged, while triglycerides improved slightly and HDL levels improved significantly.
Four other patients started the study but withdrew and returned to the standard weekly dosing schedule after gaining some weight before their first three-month follow-up visit for the trial.
The researchers noted several limitations of the study. Since people choosing to de-escalate their GLP-1 therapy might also be more motivated to adopt behavioral strategies for improving their health, there might be underlying selection bias in the study population. Also, because patients were not blinded to the change in their dose frequency, they might have made other changes in their lives to influence their weight and metabolic measurements during the study period. Finally, the researchers said future studies should compare patients who reduce their dose frequency to those who remain on the standard weekly dosing to rule out a placebo effect being at play in the results.
“Our findings demonstrate that many patients who initially lose weight on standard weekly GLP-1 therapy maintain weight, body composition and metabolic parameters after transitioning to reduced-frequency dosing,” the report concluded. “Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings and may help address concerns about indefinite therapy, lower health care costs, ease supply constraints and broaden access to GLP-1 medications to improve public health.”
In addition to Drs. Biermann and Wong, Scripps Clinic physician assistant student Ash Wu also co-authored the report. Pawanjot Garhe, a master of public health student at UC San Diego, also contributed. Dr. Biermann is a clinical trial site investigator for GLP-1 medications made by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
ABOUT SCRIPPS HEALTH
Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health care delivery system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats more than 650,000 patients annually through the dedication of more than 3,500 affiliated physicians and nearly 18,000 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, more than 70 outpatient and specialty care locations, and hundreds of affiliated physician offices throughout the region.
Recognized as a leader in disease and injury prevention, diagnosis and treatment, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research and is the only health system in the region with two level 1 trauma centers. With highly respected graduate medical education programs at all five hospital campuses, Scripps is a longstanding member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Scripps has been ranked seven times as one of the nation’s best health care systems by Premier. Its hospitals are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation’s best, and Scripps is recognized by the Advisory Board, Fortune and Working Mother magazine as one of the best places in the nation to work. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.
Steve Carpowich Scripps Health 858-678-7183 carpowich.stephen@scrippshealth.org
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