Endocrine Society sets six obesity research priorities and launches Center on Obesity
The statement says obesity treatment should be judged by health gains such as heart, sleep apnea and liver outcomes, not weight alone, and flags long-term safety as an open question.
The Endocrine Society released a scientific statement on September 9, 2026 that sets six research priorities for obesity science, timed to the launch of the group's new Center on Obesity [1][2]. The document, "Obesity Science, Research Gaps, and Opportunities in the New Era of Obesity Medicines," was published online in the society's journal Endocrine Reviews [1][2].
The writing group was led by Daniel J. Drucker, MD. The society's news release places him at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto [1]; Medscape places him at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at the University of Toronto [2]. Co-authors include Ania M. Jastreboff, Harlan M. Krumholz and Michelle Van Name of Yale University School of Medicine; Jamy D. Ard of Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Kevin D. Hall of AstraZeneca; Lee M. Kaplan of Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine; and Donna H. Ryan of Louisiana State University [1].
Six areas are named [1][2]: how the body regulates and holds onto fat, described as defended fat mass; why obesity takes different forms in different people and why treatment responses vary; what to aim for beyond percentage of body weight lost; how the body's response to these medicines shifts over time; which health outcomes improve; and whether long-term use is safe.
The society says better health, not the scale alone, should guide care, citing heart disease, sleep apnea and liver disease among outcomes worth pursuing [1]. Semaglutide, tirzepatide and other GLP-1 based therapies have reshaped the field and are already used for conditions such as heart, kidney and liver disease; they are being studied for cancer, substance use disorders, arthritis and infertility [1]. Safety topics include the drugs' own effects, problems that can follow rapid weight loss, and gaps in long-term risk data [1].
Obesity is described as a chronic disease shaped by biology, genetics, metabolism, the brain and environment, affecting more than 40% of American adults and costing over $173 billion a year in U.S. obesity-related medical care [1]. Treatment is generally long term, per the release: people who stop after reaching their goal weight often regain it and see blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar worsen, while much of the loss can be kept when they move to lower doses or different medicines [1].
"The rapid adoption of highly effective obesity medications has changed the treatment landscape, but important questions remain about their long-term use, individualized treatment strategies, side effects and the best ways to measure treatment outcomes," Drucker said [1]. He told Medscape the paper is deliberately not prescriptive, a survey of what is known, what is not, and which studies come next [2].
Medscape's September 11, 2026 report carried outside reaction [2]. Melissa Shoemaker, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, called the statement "a companion piece to existing clinical guidance" and highlighted its sections on BMI's limits, the optimal rate of weight loss, monitoring, dose adjustment, and questions about muscle and bone and treatment before pregnancy [2]. Juliana S. Simonetti, MD, of the University of Utah said she would have liked more on racial and ethnic differences, noting body fat levels vary across populations and that less fat tissue can come with higher rates of related complications [2]. Amy E. Rothberg, MD, of the University of Michigan, who chaired the task force behind the new center, said it aims to speed understanding of obesity and its treatment, and cited one in eight people worldwide living with the disease [2].
Why it matters for patients
The statement does not change what any drug is approved for, and it sets no new weight or lab targets for patients [1][2]. What it offers is a frame for care. Response varies between people, so the same medicine at the same dose should not be expected to produce the same result for everyone [1][2]. Benefit is described as wider than a number on a scale, and obesity is treated as something managed over years rather than a short course [1].
It also lists as unresolved several things patients and clinicians run into: how long to stay on a medicine, how doses should be changed, what pace of weight loss is best, how to measure benefit beyond weight, and what long-term safety looks like, including possible muscle and bone effects and use around pregnancy [1][2]. Specific answers to those questions are not settled in the document [1][2].
What happens next
The society is updating its clinical practice guideline on obesity medications, with publication expected in January 2027, Rothberg said [2]. The Center on Obesity collects the society's obesity-related journal articles plus meetings, education and advocacy resources [2]. No other dated milestones tied to the statement have been announced. The authors report financial ties to drugmakers, including Drucker's paid speaking for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and consulting for several other companies [2].
Sources
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