Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists rose steeply in past decade, study finds
A million U.S. patients, mostly women, started taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists between 2011 and 2023, according to an analysis of medical records across the country.
A letter published in Annals of Internal Medicine on July 23 quantified recent trends in prescriptions for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, finding increases particularly among patients without diabetes.
Researchers looked at deidentified records of 45 million patients with at least one outpatient or inpatient visit in the U.S. in 2011 through 2023. Overall, they found that more than 1 million patients became new users of the drug class between 2011 and 2023, and they were disproportionately female and non-Hispanic White, with a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater. Use of the drug class rose particularly steeply after 2020. The proportion of patients taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist who had diabetes decreased over the study period.
The letter also noted that the recent FDA decision to expand the indication of GLP-1 receptor agonists to include reducing cardiovascular disease risk further broadens indications for their use and will likely affect access. “These findings call for strategies to address the growing demand and ensure equitable access to GLP-1 [receptor agonists],” the study authors wrote.