A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that the number of individuals without diabetes being prescribed GLP-1 medications is on the rise, while new prescriptions for diabetic patients are declining. Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center examined medical records of 45 million Americans who visited a healthcare provider between 2011 and 2023. Their findings revealed that the proportion of new GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes decreased from nearly 90% in 2019 to over 70% in 2023. Conversely, the percentage of new users without diabetes increased from 10% to 25% during the same period.
GLP-1 drugs, which mimic a hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar and curbing appetite, were originally approved for treating type 2 diabetes, but in 2021, the FDA approved Wegovy for weight loss. This shift in application has sparked concerns over possible shortages of these medications, especially as both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly struggle to meet the rising demand.
Yee Hui Yeo, co-first author of the study, stated, “This data suggests that more healthcare providers are seeing the benefits of these medications for treating obesity, which is a significant public health shift. However, it also raises concerns about potential medication shortages and the need to ensure that patients with diabetes still have access to these treatments.”
GLP-1 medications have gained popularity in recent years due to their appetite-suppressing effects, with some users losing up to 26% of their body weight. As sales of these drugs soar, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have become the most valuable pharmaceutical companies globally, although the high demand has led to difficulties for some patients in filling prescriptions. Both companies have invested billions to increase production capacities.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley project that the global market for GLP-1 drugs will reach $105 billion by 2030, expecting that about 31.5 million individuals in the U.S., or roughly 9% of the population, will adopt these treatments by 2035.