Policy Tracker · Patient Lens · October 3, 2026
Two new trials pair GLP-1 drugs with something else entirely
One tests a digestive enzyme supplement, the other a kidney drug, both chasing better results than semaglutide alone.
Key details
- A new China trial, not yet recruiting, will test if pairing finerenone with semaglutide helps people with obesity and kidney disease who don't have diabetes.
- A phase 4 trial is now recruiting 100 people with type 2 diabetes to see if adding pancreatin to GLP-1 therapy improves blood sugar and weight control.
Two new clinical trials are asking whether semaglutide works better with a partner than it does alone. One study, not yet recruiting in China, will pair semaglutide with a kidney drug for people with obesity who do not have diabetes. The other is actively recruiting people with type 2 diabetes to test a digestive enzyme supplement alongside GLP-1 therapy. If you take a GLP-1 drug, these trials point to where research is heading next.
The China trial focuses on a specific group: adults with obesity and chronic kidney disease with albuminuria who do not have diabetes. Finerenone is a drug used to protect the kidneys, and researchers want to know if combining it with semaglutide from the start works better than semaglutide alone for this population. The trial has not yet begun recruiting, so there are no results to review and no timeline for when participants will be enrolled. For people managing both obesity and kidney disease, this is a study worth watching as it moves toward recruitment, since it targets a combination that has not been tested together in this way.
The pancreatin trial is further along and is now recruiting 100 people with type 2 diabetes. Pancreatin is a digestive enzyme supplement, and this phase 4 trial will test whether adding it to existing GLP-1 therapy improves blood sugar control and weight management beyond what GLP-1 drugs achieve on their own. Phase 4 trials happen after a drug is already approved, so the focus here is on refining how GLP-1 therapy is used rather than testing a new medication. People with type 2 diabetes who are curious about this approach can look up the trial listing for eligibility details and enrollment status.
Neither trial has produced results yet, so there is nothing here to act on directly. What these two studies show is that researchers are looking beyond semaglutide alone and testing whether pairing it with other treatments, a kidney drug in one case and a digestive enzyme supplement in the other, can improve outcomes for different groups of patients. If you fall into either population, obesity with kidney disease or type 2 diabetes on GLP-1 therapy, it may be worth mentioning these trials to your doctor or checking back as they progress. Research like this takes time, and early recruitment status means real answers are still a way off.
By Amanda Bonello