Medical Pioneers Bet on Miniature Drug Implants to Solve Long-Term Weight Loss Maintenance 

Losing weight with GLP-1 drugs represents only half the battle, as keeping it off long term proves even more difficult. Side effects, high out-of-pocket costs, injection fatigue, and societal stigma drive roughly half or more of all patients to stop taking these medications within a year, risking weight regain. To address this issue, biotech company Vivani Medical is partnering with Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk to evaluate an experimental, under-the-skin semaglutide implant called NPM-139. Designed initially as a maintenance therapy, patients would first reach an appropriate dose using existing injections or pills before switching to the implant, which doctors would administer just once or twice a year under local anesthesia in a quick, in-office procedure. 

The device consists of a tiny titanium reservoir featuring a specialized membrane with millions of microscopic channels. These channels release the drug at a slow, steady rate over several months, reducing the blood-level fluctuations common with weekly shots and potentially curbing common side effects like nausea and vomiting. While preclinical data in rats showed a 20% weight loss over six months, human trials are just beginning. Vivani recently secured approval from an Australian ethics committee to launch SLIM-1, a phase one clinical study enrolling 20 adults in mid-2026 to evaluate safety, tolerability, and absorption rates against low-dose Wegovy injections. 

If successful, Vivani plans to advance to a phase two study to test various dosages before moving toward regulatory approval in a global market that analysts expect will exceed 100 billion dollars by the early 2030s. The company notes that the implant could generate major healthcare savings by offering a cheaper alternative to weekly auto-injector pens. However, many endocrinologists remain skeptical, demanding concrete human data regarding efficacy and long-term tolerability. Medical professionals also raise concerns about provider adoption, noting that inserting and removing the devices every six to twelve months requires specialized training and in-person appointments that could restrict access for patients utilizing telehealth platforms.