Samsung Electronics is bringing wrist-worn devices into the medical field. A top-tier U.S. hospital has joined forces with the company in an experiment to track changes in the bodies of patients taking obesity medication using Galaxy Watches.
Samsung Electronics announced on the 28th that it will conduct a joint study with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, to track and analyze physical changes in patients taking GLP-1 class therapies using a Galaxy Watch.
The key objective is to determine whether wearable devices can manage changes in muscle mass and activity levels that occur alongside weight loss.
GLP-1 is a type of incretin hormone secreted in the intestines after meals. It helps regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. GLP-1 class obesity drugs, which mimic this hormone to enhance weight-loss effects, have recently enjoyed explosive popularity in the global market.
The downside is that if patients stop taking them, they may experience rebound weight gain, and side effects such as gastrointestinal issues and loss of muscle mass can also occur.
Two groups of 100 people, with DXA scans used to verify accuracy
The tool for this study is the Galaxy Watch8, equipped with a bioactive sensor. Researchers will divide 100 adult men and women who are just starting weight-loss pharmacological treatment into two groups.
One group will wear the Galaxy Watch8 to monitor body composition, track physical activity, and receive personalized exercise guidance. The other group will follow only standard GLP-1 treatment guidelines. The study will compare the two groups to analyze whether there are differences in muscle preservation effects.
Measures are also in place to increase reliability. The research team will use DXA scans, considered the standard equipment for body composition analysis, to precisely track changes in both groups. In other words, they will cross-check whether Galaxy Watch-based management actually makes a meaningful difference in maintaining muscle mass through hospital-level precision testing.
This study was initiated at MGH’s proposal. The two institutions have previously conducted digital health research using the Galaxy Watch and Samsung Health. MGH’s Diabetes Center has long been involved in diabetes and GLP-1 obesity drug research. The accumulated collaboration between the two sides became the foundation for this joint study.
“If wearable devices allow patients to perform customized exercise in daily life and accumulate data on activity levels, heart rate, body composition and more, medical professionals can also gain a more comprehensive understanding of patients’ health status,” said Melissa Putman, head of the MGH Diabetes Research Center, who is overseeing the study. “This research is meaningful in exploring the possibility that wearable devices can contribute to creating timely treatment plans.”
Beyond a ‘health recorder’… Samsung’s real aim
What Samsung Electronics is trying to confirm through this collaboration is a shift in the Galaxy Watch’s role. It is seeking to determine whether the device can go beyond simply recording health data and support lifestyle management and preventive healthcare during medication treatment. The question is whether a wrist-worn device can sit alongside the prescription pad.
This is not the company’s first partnership with medical institutions. Samsung Electronics is conducting research with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital on early prediction of vasovagal syncope, and with Stanford University in the U.S. on advancing sleep apnea detection solutions. It is steadily expanding collaborations aimed at specific diseases.
“This collaboration is a study that focuses on the muscle loss and lifestyle management challenges that actual patients face during GLP-1 class treatment,” said Choi Jong-min, executive director of Samsung Electronics’ MX Division Digital Health Team. “It is a representative example of our efforts to provide comprehensive and preventive healthcare solutions.”
The wearable healthcare market is becoming an increasingly fierce battleground with Apple, led by the Apple Watch. The next competitive frontier is whether these devices can be recognized as actual medical data tools, beyond simply measuring heart rate and sleep. This attempt, linking Galaxy Watch to obesity medications, whose global demand is surging, is drawing attention as a potential stepping stone to push wrist-worn devices into the medical ecosystem.