GLP-1 CE Courses for Pharmacists and Nurses: What Clinicians Need in 2025

Scott Angus, PharmD, RPh

Content Author · eCEcredits.com  ·  March 2026

The GLP-1 receptor agonist class has become the most consequential drug category in a generation — and the demand for GLP-1 CE courses for pharmacists and nurses has surged alongside it. With one in eight U.S. adults now taking a GLP-1 medication according to a late-2025 KFF survey, frontline clinicians need education that keeps pace with a rapidly expanding landscape of new indications, safety data, access challenges, and compounding controversies.

For CE platforms, GLP-1 education represents one of the highest-demand content areas in healthcare right now. Here is what is driving that demand and what clinicians need to know.

The indication list grew dramatically in 2024 and 2025

GLP-1 receptor agonists are no longer just diabetes drugs. In December 2024, the FDA approved tirzepatide (Zepbound) for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea — the first medication ever approved for that condition. In January 2025, semaglutide (Ozempic) gained approval for diabetic nephropathy and chronic kidney disease. By August 2025, semaglutide (Wegovy) received accelerated approval for MASH with liver fibrosis based on the ESSENCE trial, which showed 63% MASH resolution versus 34% with placebo at 72 weeks.

Then in December 2025, the FDA approved an oral semaglutide pill for weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction — the first oral GLP-1 for obesity, delivering 16.6% mean weight loss in the OASIS 4 trial. That pill launched in early January 2026 and is expected to further expand the patient population.

For pharmacists and nurses, each new indication creates a knowledge gap. Clinicians need to understand dosing protocols, monitoring parameters, and counseling points specific to each approved use — not just the diabetes and weight-loss contexts they may already know.

Cardiovascular and metabolic outcome data reshaped treatment guidelines

The landmark SELECT trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events with semaglutide 2.4 mg in patients with established cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity — independent of diabetes status. That finding drove Wegovy's 2024 label expansion for CV risk reduction and fundamentally changed how cardiologists, endocrinologists, pharmacists, and primary care teams approach obesity treatment.

Meanwhile, the SURMOUNT-5 trial provided the first head-to-head comparison, showing tirzepatide achieved 20.2% weight loss versus semaglutide's 13.7% at 72 weeks. And the ADA's 2025 Standards of Care now prioritize cardiovascular and renal health outcomes over A1C targets alone, recommending GLP-1 RAs with proven organ-protective benefits regardless of baseline hemoglobin A1C. CE courses that cover these evolving guidelines help pharmacists and nurses make evidence-based recommendations in practice.

Compounding, access, and patient counseling are urgent education priorities

The GLP-1 compounding controversy is one of the most complex pharmacy practice issues in years. After the FDA declared the semaglutide shortage resolved in early 2025, 503A and 503B compounding pharmacies faced tight deadlines to cease producing compounded versions. Legal challenges followed immediately, and by early 2026 the FDA had issued more than 85 warning letters to online sellers and telehealth companies marketing compounded GLP-1 products with misleading claims. Pharmacists need CE that covers the legal framework, safety risks, and patient communication strategies surrounding compounded products.

Insurance access remains another major education need. Medicare still cannot cover GLP-1s prescribed solely for weight loss. Only 13 state Medicaid programs covered GLP-1s for obesity as of January 2026, and several states recently dropped coverage. At the employer level, 43% of large firms now cover GLP-1s for weight management — but over half of GLP-1 users report the drugs are difficult to afford. Pharmacists and nurses who understand the payer landscape can better guide patients through prior authorization processes and alternative access pathways.

Patient counseling is equally critical. More than 50% of patients on GLP-1s for weight loss discontinue within 12 months, with GI side effects and cost cited as leading reasons. Clinicians need training on titration strategies, side-effect management, injection technique, realistic weight-loss expectations, and the evidence that most patients regain significant weight within a year of stopping therapy.

What CE platforms should offer — and how to get there fast

The most effective GLP-1 CE courses in 2025 and 2026 cover the full clinical picture: mechanism of action across GLP-1 and dual GIP/GLP-1 agents, current FDA-approved indications, cardiovascular and metabolic outcome trial data, dosing and titration protocols, compounding and regulatory issues, insurance navigation, emerging indications like MASH and addiction, and practical patient counseling frameworks. Courses that carry interprofessional CE (IPCE) designation are especially valuable because they serve pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants from a single activity.