Professor Andreas Liebl from the Diabetes and Metabolism Center Bad Heilbrunn, Germany, believes that the iteration and upgrading of innovative drugs will be most critical in the coming years. Drugs targeting GLP‑1, GIP, and glucagon receptors will be continuously optimized and diversified. As I noted earlier, such agents allow us to manage patients from a holistic perspective — focusing not only on glycemic control but also on weight reduction, while addressing cardiovascular complications and other comorbidities. A wealth of new advances and research findings will emerge in this field.
Another important direction is small‑molecule drugs, namely oral non‑peptide GLP‑1 receptor agonists. Their advantage lies in convenient administration, with no restrictions on meal or fluid timing. Preliminary available data show favorable glycemic‑lowering and weight‑loss effects, together with superior cost and accessibility. They represent a major new therapeutic direction in the next few years.
In addition, the combined model of metabolic surgery plus pharmacotherapy will be further refined. For patients with severe obesity, rapid weight loss via metabolic surgery followed by weight maintenance with GLP‑1 or GIP receptor agonists will benefit patients and help prevent cardiovascular complications, emerging as a key development trend.
Finally, AI has enormous application potential. We are developing and will continue to refine AI‑driven predictive models — for instance, identifying patients who will benefit most from weight‑loss medications and those at highest risk of poor treatment adherence, enabling precise targeting of individuals needing greater care and attention. Feedback models for patient interaction will also be developed to enhance treatment motivation. These AI applications will be gradually implemented in the near future, and I am confident they will greatly support clinical management.