Found Health has become the latest telehealth company to offer a microdosing programme with weight loss jabs, despite an absence of scientific data demonstrating the approach’s effectiveness.
Found’s eligible members in certain US states will be able to access the programme immediately, which will permit clinician-supervised treatment with small quantity of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).
The company points to “emerging research” that shows GLP-1RA medications offer benefits beyond weight loss for patients experiencing metabolic dysfunction. The company is earmarking patients with early metabolic dysfunction, claiming that restrictive traditional healthcare protocols lead to disease advancement before treatment qualification.
The focus may specifically be with women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and those with menopause, who have barriers to medication.
Found’s senior medical adviser Dr Rekha Kumar said: "When we see documented prediabetes, insulin resistance from PCOS, or metabolic changes during menopause, we have clear evidence that intervention can prevent progression to diabetes."
While the future applications of GLP-1RAs could lie beyond diabetes and weight loss, microdosing is a more tenuous mode of administration. With its origins in psychedelics, microdosing involves such a low dose of a compound that it is not considered pharmacologically active. In the case of GLP-1RAs, this involves administering far less than the recommended amount via pre-filled pens or vials.
A January 2025 letter, published in the American Diabetes Association (ADA) journal Diabetes Care, said that: “Microdosing could play a valuable role in optimising therapy amid challenges in availability, affordability, and tolerability.”
However, there is no peer-reviewed scientific evidence that shows microdosing GLP-1RA drugs is effective or safe.
American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) president Dr Scott Isaacs said: “AACE does not support the routine use of microdosing GLP-1RA medications in clinical care and recommends adherence to FDA-approved dosing guidelines for these agents.
“Current scientific evidence for microdosing GLP-1RA medications is limited, with most reports being anecdotal, and large-scale randomised trials have only evaluated standard dosing regimens. In rare cases, microdosing may be considered for patients who experience severe side effects or for super responders who lose excessive weight even on the lowest approved doses, but this approach is off-label and should be individualised under expert supervision.”
Found Health offers branded GLP-1RAs, including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide).
The telehealth company did not immediately respond to Pharmaceutical Technology to confirm whether the microdosing programme will involve branded GLP-1RAs or compounded versions.
Compounded drugs are custom-made and unbranded medications that contain the same active ingredient as a marketed drug, such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, pursuant to a prescription. Their use has been a source of much discussion in the US amid US food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation changes.
Online weight loss company Noom started offering smaller doses of a compounded version of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1RA Wegovy (semaglutide) in May 2025.
