India Pharma Outlook Team | Thursday, 23 July 2026
Patients using GLP-1 drugs for obesity and type 2 diabetes may have a slightly higher chance of developing hair loss, according to three new studies.
Researchers stressed that the overall risk remains low, and most cases are temporary. The findings add fresh evidence to the safety profile of these widely used medicines.
The studies focused on medicines used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. These included semaglutide, sold as Wegovy and Ozempic, and tirzepatide, marketed as Zepbound and Mounjaro. Researchers compared them with other commonly prescribed diabetes drugs.
A study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania was published in The BMJ. It analyzed patients who received treatment for at least two years. The study found that GLP-1 users had a 37% higher chance of developing alopecia than patients taking SGLT-2 inhibitors.
The odds were 68% higher when compared with DPP-4 inhibitors. Despite the increase, the actual number of cases remained small. Researchers reported between three and nine new alopecia cases per 1,000 patients each year.
Each treatment group included roughly 11,000 to 15,000 participants. The comparison included SGLT-2 medicines such as Johnson & Johnson's Invokana, AstraZeneca's Farxiga, and Jardiance from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly. The DPP-4 group included Merck's Januvia and AstraZeneca's Onglyza.
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A second study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, reached a similar conclusion. It included data from more than one million people worldwide. Researchers found that GLP-1 medicines carried a higher risk of different types of alopecia than metformin.
Another study compared tirzepatide with semaglutide. Researchers from analytics company nference analyzed 11,046 patients taking tirzepatide. They compared them with the same number of patients using semaglutide.
The study has been submitted for peer review as a preprint. New-onset alopecia was reported in 4.24% of tirzepatide users. The rate was 3.33% among semaglutide users. Women showed an even bigger difference. Hair loss affected 5.44% of women taking tirzepatide. Among women using semaglutide, the rate was 3.63%.
All three studies noted that hair shedding commonly happens during weight loss. Researchers also said the condition is often reversible. However, the nference study suggested weight loss may not fully explain the increased risk.
The higher alopecia rate remained regardless of weight loss or drug dose. Researchers also found that patients with thyroid disease or other endocrine disorders had a greater chance of developing alopecia.
This points to possible hormonal, autoimmune, or skin-related factors. Venky Soundararajan, who led the nference study, said the findings support more personalized patient care. He said doctors should monitor patients based on individual risk factors. He added that hair loss should not be explained only as a result of weight loss.
