A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that the percentage of individuals without diabetes being prescribed GLP-1 medications is increasing, while new prescriptions for those with diabetes are declining. This trend raises potential concerns regarding a shortage of these treatments.
GLP-1 drugs, which imitate a hormone that helps manage blood sugar levels and decrease appetite, were originally approved for type 2 diabetes treatment. In 2021, the FDA expanded their use to include weight loss with the approval of Wegovy.
Currently, pharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are facing challenges in producing sufficient quantities of GLP-1 drugs— a class that includes Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic— to meet the surging demand.
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other institutions examined the medical records of 45 million Americans who had visited a doctor between 2011 and 2023. Their findings showed that the proportion of new GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes fell from nearly 90% to over 70% between 2019 and 2023. Concurrently, the percentage of new GLP-1 users without diabetes increased from 10% to 25%.
Yee Hui Yeo, co-first author of the study, acknowledged the indication that healthcare providers are recognizing the advantages of these medications for treating obesity, marking a significant shift in public health. However, she stressed concerns about ensuring that patients with diabetes can still access these essential treatments.
The study utilized data from the healthcare software company TriNetX, which may not fully represent national demographics.
In recent years, GLP-1 drugs have gained popularity due to their appetite-suppressing effects, with users able to lose up to 26% of their body weight.
The soaring sales of these medications have led Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to rank among the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical firms. However, the heightened demand has complicated the ability of some patients to fill their prescriptions. Both companies have made substantial investments to enhance their production capabilities for these drugs.
Morgan Stanley analysts project that the global market for GLP-1 medications will grow to $105 billion by 2030, with adoption expected to rise to approximately 31.5 million individuals in the U.S., representing nearly 9% of the population, by 2035.