Temporal Trends in Prescription of GLP-1RAs for Weight Loss: Insights From a Five-Year Retrospective Analysis in the US
Author(s)
Vishal Vishal, MBA1, Ankita Bhagat, MS1, Riddhi Kumar Markan, M.SC. Economics2, Ram Kumar Mishra, PhD1, Rajesh Ganguly, MBA1, Mohammad Talat Zaheer, MSc3, Rishav Singla, B.TECH.1, Vikash Kumar Verma, MBA, PharmD1, Marissa Seligman, BS Pharma2, Rahul Goyal, BS Tech4, Louis Brooks Jr, MA5, Abhimanyu Roy, MBA1, Abhinav Nayyar, MBBS, MBA1, Arunima Sachdev, MA1.
1OPTUM, GURGAON, India, 2OPTUM, Boston, MA, USA, 3OPTUM, NOIDA, India, 4OPTUM, Phoenix, AZ, USA, 5OPTUM, Bloomsbury, NJ, USA.
1OPTUM, GURGAON, India, 2OPTUM, Boston, MA, USA, 3OPTUM, NOIDA, India, 4OPTUM, Phoenix, AZ, USA, 5OPTUM, Bloomsbury, NJ, USA.
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1RAs) have revolutionized obesity treatment and gained popularity. Their usage patterns may reflect other weight-loss strategies (dieting, gym-memberships), which show seasonal trends and are influenced by individual motivation. This study aims to elucidate temporal trends in GLP-1RA prescription initiations (IN) and refills (RE).
METHODS: The Optum’s® de-identified Market Clarity database was used to identify patients receiving GLP-1RAs for weight-loss. The study duration was January-2017 to June-2024, with index period from January-2018 to June-2023. The first GLP-1RA fill was index event. Patients aged 18-64 years, identified using ICD-10 codes with ≥1 diagnosis of obesity or overweight, continuous enrollment for ≥1 year pre- and post-index date were included. Patients with a history of Diabetes/pre-diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, or bariatric surgery were excluded. For temporal analysis, cooler months (CM) were identified as Fall (September-November) and Winter (December-February). Warmer months (WM) were Spring (March-May) and Summer (June-August).
RESULTS: A total of 165,572 GLP-1RA initiations and 794,813 refill counts were identified during 2018-2022. The average initiation (IN: 18.1%) and refill (RE: 38.2%) rates were higher in CM. The IN and RE rates were higher across all age groups in CM, with IN showing similar average percentage differences (IN: 16.3%-18.8%), while RE exhibited higher average variation (39%) in the 35-54 age group. Both genders exhibited higher average IN and RE rates in CM, with RE showing greater seasonal variation, especially in males (IN: 27.6%, RE: 39.1% higher in CM). The Northeast region exhibited the highest average seasonality in CM (IN: 28.5%) and high seasonality in RE (40.2%). Most patients were Caucasians (IN: 69.2%, RE: 69.1%), with RE rates 38.3% higher in CM.
CONCLUSIONS: From 2018-2022, initiation and refill rates for GLP-1RAs increased in CM across all ages, genders, geographies, and ethnic groups. These findings highlight the influence of seasonal variations in GLP-1RA prescriptions for weight-loss.
METHODS: The Optum’s® de-identified Market Clarity database was used to identify patients receiving GLP-1RAs for weight-loss. The study duration was January-2017 to June-2024, with index period from January-2018 to June-2023. The first GLP-1RA fill was index event. Patients aged 18-64 years, identified using ICD-10 codes with ≥1 diagnosis of obesity or overweight, continuous enrollment for ≥1 year pre- and post-index date were included. Patients with a history of Diabetes/pre-diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, or bariatric surgery were excluded. For temporal analysis, cooler months (CM) were identified as Fall (September-November) and Winter (December-February). Warmer months (WM) were Spring (March-May) and Summer (June-August).
RESULTS: A total of 165,572 GLP-1RA initiations and 794,813 refill counts were identified during 2018-2022. The average initiation (IN: 18.1%) and refill (RE: 38.2%) rates were higher in CM. The IN and RE rates were higher across all age groups in CM, with IN showing similar average percentage differences (IN: 16.3%-18.8%), while RE exhibited higher average variation (39%) in the 35-54 age group. Both genders exhibited higher average IN and RE rates in CM, with RE showing greater seasonal variation, especially in males (IN: 27.6%, RE: 39.1% higher in CM). The Northeast region exhibited the highest average seasonality in CM (IN: 28.5%) and high seasonality in RE (40.2%). Most patients were Caucasians (IN: 69.2%, RE: 69.1%), with RE rates 38.3% higher in CM.
CONCLUSIONS: From 2018-2022, initiation and refill rates for GLP-1RAs increased in CM across all ages, genders, geographies, and ethnic groups. These findings highlight the influence of seasonal variations in GLP-1RA prescriptions for weight-loss.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-05, ISPOR 2025, Montréal, Quebec, CA
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S1
Code
SA66
Topic
Study Approaches
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)