[Good Brain 2026] "GLP-1 Could Be a Blockbuster Treatment for Brain Diseases," Experts Say with One Voice

“If the Patient Group Had Been Narrowed, the Results Might Have Been Different”
“BBB Shuttle Technology Predicted to Reach Commercialization Within Five Years”

At the "2026 Good Brain Conference" hosted by The Asia Business Daily on the 3rd, participating experts overwhelmingly assessed that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies have a high potential to be commercialized as future treatments for brain diseases. Despite some recent clinical trial failures, many emphasized that GLP-1 still holds significant mechanistic promise. If challenges in the new drug development process—such as bridging the gap between animal experiments and actual clinical environments, and achieving mass production—are resolved, there are strong prospects for the emergence of next-generation blockbuster pharmaceuticals. This event, under the theme ‘Brain Revolution: The Future of Humanity that GLP-1 Will Change,’ was held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

On the 3rd, at the Orchid Room of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, panelists attending the “2026 Good Brain Conference” held under the theme “Brain Revolution: The Future of Humanity that GLP-1 Will Change” are engaged in a special discussion titled “The Future of K-Bio Woven with the Warp and Weft of Theory, Industry, and Policy.” From the left: Min Choi, Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at KAIST; Yoonjung Park, Chief Technology Officer of Nuvivec; and Sohee Kim, Head of the Circulatory Nervous System Drug Division at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

During the event's discussion session, Yoonjung Park, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Nuvivec, commented, “It was disappointing that semaglutide and exenatide failed to achieve efficacy endpoints in Phase 3 trials last year. However, had the trial populations been further narrowed—such as targeting specific subsets of Parkinson’s disease patients—meaningful results might have been obtained.” She added, “I still believe that peptide pharmaceuticals like GLP-1 have a high potential to become blockbusters in central nervous system (CNS) disorders.”

Min Choi, Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at KAIST, also expressed that the potential of GLP-1 should not be underestimated based solely on instances of clinical failure. She explained that even among Parkinson’s patients, the response to GLP-1 may differ depending on disease characteristics such as neuroinflammation, making it crucial to select the appropriate patient group. Professor Choi emphasized, “If patient selection had focused on those with especially prominent neuroinflammation, the results could have been different. Rather than judging potential by a single paper or case, it is necessary to closely examine how a study was designed and conducted.”

Outlooks were also shared that shuttle technologies capable of delivering drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the brain could reach commercialization within the coming years. The BBB serves as a protective barrier that blocks indiscriminate entry of external substances in the blood into the brain, representing a primary drug delivery hurdle for brain disease treatments. Vice President Park stated, “In academic circles, there are frequent discussions that actual administration may be possible within the next three to five years. Although peptide-based technologies are still at the Phase 1 clinical trial stage, I believe commercialization could be achieved sometime in the early 2030s.”

The biological differences between animal models and actual patients were identified as a key reason why strong mechanisms and robust research do not immediately lead to new drug development. In animal experiments, it is often the case that diseases are artificially induced in healthy animals, while in actual Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s patients, the progression of aging and disease over a long period may significantly diminish the body's overall responsiveness. Thus, pharmacological effects observed in animal studies may not always translate at the same level in clinical trials involving real patients.

The discussion also turned to the role of regulatory authorities in preparation for the expansion of GLP-1-based therapies into treatments for brain disorders. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety intends to independently monitor the potential misuse of GLP-1 class therapies and flexibly operate its regulations according to future new drug development trends. Sohee Kim, Head of the Circulatory Nervous System Drug Division at the Ministry, stated, “If future dementia or Parkinson’s treatments are developed, the target patient groups will be quite clearly defined, so concerns about misuse are not expected to be severe. At present, the priority is to accumulate considerable research so that quality products can be developed.”

Recommendations were also offered on organically designing experiments from the preclinical stage to increase the likelihood of new drug development success. When employing different animal species, it is important to establish consistent standards for model selection so that efficacy and toxicity in humans can be predicted. Kim advised, “Some domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies attempt to secure only the minimal necessary data due to budget constraints. As preclinical data forms the foundation for developing safe and effective medicines, I hope investment in this area will not be neglected.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.