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, while new prescriptions for those with diabetes are declining. This situation raises concerns about potential shortages of these treatments.
GLP-1 drugs function by mimicking a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. They were originally approved for managing type 2 diabetes, but in 2021, the FDA sanctioned the use of Wegovy, a GLP-1 treatment, for weight loss. Since then, companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have struggled to meet the increasing demand for these medications, which include Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic.
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other institutions analyzed the medical records of 45 million Americans who visited a doctor between 2011 and 2023. Their findings indicated that the proportion of new GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes decreased from nearly 90% in 2019 to over 70% by 2023, while the percentage of new users without diabetes increased from 10% to 25%.
Co-first author of the study, Yee Hui Yeo, commented that this shift highlights the growing recognition among healthcare providers of the benefits of these medications for obesity management, marking a significant public health change. However, Yeo cautioned about potential medication shortages and emphasized the importance of ensuring access for diabetes patients.
The study’s data was sourced from healthcare software company TriNetX, which may not represent the entire national population. Over recent years, GLP-1 drugs have gained popularity due to their appetite-suppressing effects, enabling users to lose up to 26% of their body weight.
The soaring sales of these medications have catapulted Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to become two of the most valuable pharmaceutical companies globally. Nevertheless, the high demand has made it challenging for some patients to fill their prescriptions. Both firms have committed billions to increase production capacity for these drugs.
Morgan Stanley analysts project that the global market for GLP-1 drugs could reach $105 billion by 2030, with an estimated 31.5 million individuals in the U.S. adopting these treatments by 2035, constituting about 9% of the population.