This week’s cover package looks at a new generation of wonder drugs. GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro, best-known for treating diabetes and obesity, could also help humans fight everything from cardiovascular and kidney disease to Alzheimer’s and addiction. How can one class of drug do so much? As our briefing explains, not only do they act in the gut, but they also bind to receptors all over the body, including in the brain. As these drugs become cheaper and easier to use, they promise to dramatically improve the lives of more than a billion people—with profound consequences for the economy and society, too.