Anyone with Type 2 diabetes will tell you self-injection pens are nothing new, but with the rise of GLP-1 drugs in recent years, they have entered public consciousness in a new way.
Industry estimates suggest between 25 and 30 million people worldwide have used GLP-1 receptors. The rise in popularity and curiosity is down to “a once-weekly dosing schedule, the ease of administration at home and the promising results over a short time”, says Dr Bhanu Malhotra, specialist endocrinologist, RAK Hospital. They have also helped to reduce needle phobia, she adds.
This widespread awareness and use have led many other health and wellness companies to optimise the same formats, making home injection pens even more commonplace.
“GLP-1s have absolutely increased public awareness of the wider category of self-injectable wellness and metabolic products,” says Dr Gehad Masri, general surgeon and founder of Yugen Care who offers a range of pens in his Dubai clinic “as part of a broader personalised wellness and longevity discussion”.
Options include a NAD+ pen “supporting cellular energy, mental clarity, focus and overall vitality”, a MOTS-C pen “positioned around metabolism, mitochondrial function, endurance and performance”, an Ipamorelin pen to support “natural growth-hormone release for recovery, sleep, body composition and healthy ageing” and a TB-500 pen to support “tissue repair, recovery, flexibility and mobility”, explains Dr Masri.
Also popular are pens that deliver peptides, the amino acids that can aid collagen production, muscle building and weight regulation.
But why adopt this method at all? “Compared to topical and oral medicines, the bioavailability, or extent to which an active ingredient is absorbed, of injectables is high, so results are rapid and promising,” says Dr Malhotra.
They're also highly convenient, she adds: “They are more affordable and less invasive than surgical procedures, and can be taken during a lunch hour or a day off.”
This follows a broader wellness trend, from beauty to health, moving increasingly into the personal sphere, from at-home ice baths to personalised vitamins made from home-administered blood tests. Like injectables, they solve several real-world barriers at once, says Dr Masri, listing “convenience, privacy, dosing simplicity and consistency”.
“They also fit modern healthcare, where people want effective treatment that does not require frequent clinic attendance. On top of that, when a drug class produces visible outcomes, as happened with GLP-1s, adoption accelerates because awareness moves from a medical setting into mainstream culture,” he adds.
Drawbacks to home-administered medication
While the rise of self-injectables seems like a natural step in the personalised wellness movement, they can also point to wider issues such as the rise in self-diagnosis.
A 2024 survey by insurance company AXA found that almost half the people in the UK have used online health information to self-diagnose, while a survey from the Health Management Academy, published in January this year, found that 57 per cent of Americans use the internet to research symptoms.
The ability to book video or phone calls with medical experts, rather than in-clinic appointments, along with an increase in patient self-diagnosis, has led to a cultural shift not only in how we perceive our own health, but also in the treatments and doctors we seek.
Experts warn against such injections being bought or administered without medical consultation or supervision. “They are a major advancement in treating medical conditions, but not a general wellness solution and their use should remain evidence-based and medically supervised,” say Dr Kingini Bhadran, specialist in endocrinology at Aster Clinic Qusais.
“In chronic conditions, long-term use is often required,” she adds. “Injectable pens are not cures, but part of a broader plan, including lifestyle changes. Stopping them may reverse the benefits, while misuse can lead to side effects, unnecessary costs and unrealistic expectations.”
Experts also warn that the use of injectable pens for health-related issues should be administered as part of a multilayer approach to wellness.
“I would say they are part of the evolution, but not the whole story,” says Dr Masri. “The real evolution is not simply ‘more injections’; it is the combination of personalisation, biomarker-led decision-making, convenience and continuity of care. Pens are one delivery format within that broader shift.”
Used correctly, they can be very useful for the right patient, for the right goal, and crucially, under the right supervision, he adds. “The future of wellness is integrated care, where medication, nutrition, movement, diagnostics and longitudinal follow-up all work together.”
