Psoriasis, Obesity, and the Emerging Role of GLP-1 Therapies

The relationship between psoriasis and obesity extends beyond shared risk factors, with growing evidence pointing to interconnected inflammatory, metabolic, and genetic mechanisms. Joel Gelfand, MD, examines why psoriasis is increasingly understood as a systemic inflammatory-metabolic disease and what emerging research on GLP-1 receptor agonists could mean for treatment. Drawing on findings from the TOGETHER-PsO trial, he discusses the potential benefits of combining a GLP-1 therapy with biologic treatment, including improvements in skin and joint outcomes alongside weight loss and cardiometabolic measures. He also considers questions that remain unanswered, including the potential of GLP-1 therapy as a standalone psoriasis treatment and whether it might help reduce the future risk of psoriatic arthritis.