The Monster Behind Ozempic

Children fear monsters under the bed. Adults, meanwhile, seem to embrace them. Monster trucks. Monster movies. Monster energy drinks.

But one monster is very real — and it may have done more for human health than any fictional creature ever could.

Meet the Gila monster.

A Lizard Built for Hard Times
Native to the deserts of the American Southwest, the Gila monster is the largest lizard in the United States. It grows to about 20 inches long, weighs up to four pounds, and is one of only a few venomous lizards in the world.

Life in the desert isn’t easy. Food can be scarce, and the Gila monster has adapted in remarkable ways. The lizard spends as much as 90 percent of its life underground and can survive on just a handful of large meals each year. When it does eat, its body must carefully manage a sudden rush of nutrients without sending blood sugar levels soaring.

Over millions of years, evolution equipped the Gila monster with a chemical tool to help solve that problem — a peptide found in its saliva.

For centuries, nobody paid much attention to it.

Then scientists did.

The Discovery Nobody Saw Coming
In the 1980s, gastroenterologists working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were quietly investigating how various animal toxins interacted with human tissue. They published a series of obscure papers detailing how the venoms of certain snakes and lizards caused significant changes in the pancreas — the organ responsible for producing insulin.

At the time, the research seemed far removed from everyday medicine. However, it caught the attention of Dr. John Eng, an endocrinologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. Intrigued by findings that certain venom compounds influenced the pancreas, Dr. Eng began studying Gila monster venom. In 1990, he isolated a peptide called exendin-4.

That discovery would eventually transform medicine.

Better Than the Human Version
What made exendin-4 so interesting was its similarity to GLP-1, a hormone naturally produced in the human body that helps regulate blood sugar, slows digestion, and promotes feelings of fullness. Scientists had long recognized GLP-1’s therapeutic potential.

There was just one problem.

Human GLP-1 disappears almost as soon as it is produced.

The Gila monster’s version was different — it lasted much longer, making it a promising treatment for type 2 diabetes.

From Lizard Venom to Blockbuster Drug

After years of research, refinement, and clinical testing, the FDA approved exenatide (Byetta) in 2005, making it the first GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Doctors soon noticed something unexpected: patients weren’t just improving blood sugar control. They were also losing weight.

That observation sparked a pharmaceutical revolution.

Today’s GLP-1 medications, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, trace their origins to that initial discovery. Researchers are now studying these drugs for a growing list of conditions, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, addiction, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The Value of Curiosity
The Gila monster story is more than a fascinating scientific tale. It is a case study in why public investment in research matters.

The scientists who unlocked the secrets of GLP-1 drugs were not trying to create a blockbuster, highly profitable drug. They were conducting NIH-funded basic research. Without that support, one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the past generation might never have happened.

As the Trump administration seeks to further reduce NIH funding, the Gila monster offers a cautionary lesson. Basic research often looks unimportant — right up until it changes the world.

The last medical revolution came from studying lizard venom. Imagine what we might miss if we stop looking.

Happy reading,
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.