Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound have changed the landscape of obesity treatment, but specialists say the next generation of care will go much further. Credit: Shutterstock

Experts say the future of obesity treatment will extend far beyond GLP-1 drugs by combining medications with personalized therapies and advanced procedures.

The arrival of GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) has dramatically changed how obesity is treated. But while these drugs have produced impressive results, experts say they are only one part of the solution for managing one of America’s most widespread chronic diseases.

A new commentary published in the American Gastroenterological Association journal Gastroenterology revisits the influential POWER (Practice Guide on Obesity and Weight Management, Education, and Resources) framework, originally introduced in 2017. Titled “Revisiting POWER in the GLP-1 Age,” the update reflects how rapidly obesity care has evolved in recent years.

The revised guidance highlights several major developments, including the success of modern anti-obesity medications, growing evidence supporting endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies, broader use of bariatric surgery, and emerging advances in precision medicine that could make treatment more personalized.

The figure provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary process to guide and personalize innovative obesity care. Credit: Gastroenterology

A Broader View of Obesity Treatment

According to the updated framework, GLP-1 receptor agonists have fundamentally transformed obesity treatment. At the same time, the authors argue that obesity should be viewed as a chronic, systemic disease rather than being defined primarily by body mass index (BMI), which has important limitations when assessing an individual’s overall health risk.

The commentary also describes a shift toward multidisciplinary care, with physicians increasingly combining medications, endoscopic procedures, and surgery to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

New Therapies and Personalized Care

Researchers point to growing evidence supporting endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and other endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies as effective treatment options. They also note that advances in genetics and precision medicine may eventually help doctors identify which obesity treatments are most likely to benefit each individual patient.

The authors suggest that combining GLP-1 medications with endoscopic procedures or bariatric surgery could produce greater and longer-lasting weight loss than relying on either treatment approach alone.

The Expanding Role of Gastroenterology Specialists

The commentary also highlights the important role gastroenterologists and hepatologists play in treating obesity. These specialists frequently care for patients with obesity-related conditions, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gallbladder disease, and a variety of gastrointestinal complications linked to obesity.

Reference: “Revisiting POWER in the GLP-1 Age” by Andres Acosta, Naresh Gunaratnam, Violeta Popov, Pooja Singhal, Janese Laster-Butler, Joel V. Brill, Rohit Kohli and John Magaña Morton, 17 June 2026, Gastroenterology.
DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2026.04.016

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