According to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the number of people without diabetes being prescribed GLP-1 medications is on the rise, while new prescriptions for patients with diabetes are declining.
The authors of the study caution that this shift could potentially lead to shortages of these treatments. GLP-1 drugs, which mimic a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and decrease appetite, were initially approved for treating type 2 diabetes. However, the FDA expanded the use of the GLP-1 medication Wegovy for weight management in 2021.
Since this approval, pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have faced challenges in producing sufficient quantities of GLP-1 drugs, including Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, to meet increasing demand.
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other institutions examined medical records from 45 million Americans who visited a doctor between 2011 and 2023. Their findings indicated that the percentage of new GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes dropped from nearly 90% to over 70% from 2019 to 2023, while the proportion of new users without diabetes grew from 10% to 25%.
Yee Hui Yeo, a co-first author of the study, emphasized that this trend highlights a changing perception among healthcare providers regarding the benefits of these medications for obesity treatment, raising concerns about medication access for diabetes patients.
The study utilized data from healthcare software company TriNetX, although it may not reflect a national representation. In recent years, GLP-1 drugs have gained popularity due to their appetite-suppressing effects, with users experiencing weight loss of up to 26%.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have seen skyrocketing sales, establishing them among the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical companies. However, the high demand has led to difficulties for some customers in obtaining their prescribed medications. Both companies are investing heavily to boost production capabilities.
Morgan Stanley analysts project that the global market for GLP-1 drugs will reach $105 billion by 2030, estimating that around 9% of the U.S. population, or about 31.5 million people, will adopt these medications by 2035.