Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: The extant literature offers limited evidence on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and cost burden of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes (DMT2). The purpose of this study was to describe the annual HCRU and cost among patients with DMT2 who do and do not receive GLP-1 treatment.
METHODS: A retrospective, observational cohort study with a serial cross-sectional design compared the economic burden and patient-reported HCRU of adult household respondents with DMT2 who were prescribed and not prescribed a GLP-1, using pooled data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) between 2018 and 2022. A matched-control cohort was created using annual survey participants; the MEPS GLP-1 non-user population was matched to MEPS GLP-1 user respondents by gender, age, geographic region, and year of reporting within MEPS using a 3:1 ratio. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted, with pooled data representing the average annual estimate across the 5 years of data.
RESULTS: A total of 2,980,738 patients were included in the matched, pooled analysis. GLP-1 users were more likely to have private insurance than non-users (61% vs 52%). On average, GLP-1 users had higher annual total healthcare expenses than non-users ($24,833 vs $16,210). However, when stratifying by setting of care, annual expenses were similar between users and non-users for outpatient, ER, and inpatient stays, with a noticeable difference in annual total prescription expenses ($14,230 for GLP-1 users vs $5,510 for non-users). GLP-1 users and non-users also had similar frequencies of outpatient, ER, and inpatient visits.
CONCLUSIONS: Interestingly, annual HCRU and costs were similar between GLP-1 users and non-users, apart from total prescription expenses. This study furthers the understanding of the impact of GLP-1s on the economic burden in this population and suggests that additional research is warranted to understand cost-drivers.