A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals a growing trend in the prescription of GLP-1 drugs to individuals without diabetes, coinciding with a decrease in new prescriptions for those with diabetes. The findings raise concerns about potential shortages of these medications.
GLP-1 drugs, initially approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, function by mimicking a hormone that regulates blood sugar and curbs appetite. In 2021, the FDA extended approval for Wegovy, a GLP-1 treatment, for weight loss purposes.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, two leading manufacturers of GLP-1 drugs including Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, are currently struggling to meet the surging demand due to these shifting prescription patterns.
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other institutions analyzed the medical records of 45 million Americans who visited doctors between 2011 and 2023. Their analysis indicated that the proportion of new GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes decreased from nearly 90% to over 70% from 2019 to 2023, while new users without diabetes increased from 10% to 25%.
“This data suggests that more healthcare providers are seeing the benefits of these medications for treating obesity, which marks a significant public health shift,” stated Yee Hui Yeo, the study’s co-first author. She underscored the importance of ensuring that diabetes patients continue to have access to these crucial treatments.
The study utilized data from healthcare software company TriNetX, which may not fully represent the national landscape. GLP-1 drugs have gained popularity due to their appetite-suppressing effects, with users reportedly able to lose up to 26% of their body weight.
As demand for these medications has soared, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have become leading pharmaceutical companies globally. However, this increased demand has led to challenges for some patients in obtaining their prescriptions. To address this, both companies have committed substantial investments to enhance production capabilities.
Analysts from Morgan Stanley project that the global market for GLP-1 drugs could reach $105 billion by 2030, with forecasts suggesting that around 31.5 million people in the U.S., or approximately 9% of the population, will adopt these treatments by 2035.