The Pen That Makes You Leaner: GLP-1 Prescription Trends for Weight Loss in the US
Author(s)
Riddhi Kumar Markan, M.SC. Economics1, Rajesh Ganguly, MBA2, Ram Kumar Mishra, PhD2, Rishav Singla, B.Tech.2, Vishal Vishal, MBA2, Ankita Bhagat, MS2, Mohammad Talat Zaheer, MSc3, Vikash Kumar Verma, MBA, PharmD2, Abhimanyu Roy, MBA2, Ina Kukreja, MBA, PT2, Abhinav Nayyar, MBBS, MBA2, Arunima Sachdev, MA2, Marissa Seligman, BS Pharma1, Louis Brooks Jr, MA4, Rahul Goyal, BS Tech5.
1Optum, Boston, MA, USA, 2Optum, Gurgaon, India, 3Optum, Noida, India, 4Optum, Bloomsbury, NJ, USA, 5Optum, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
1Optum, Boston, MA, USA, 2Optum, Gurgaon, India, 3Optum, Noida, India, 4Optum, Bloomsbury, NJ, USA, 5Optum, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been widely used for weight loss in obesity, leading to high-demand, drug shortages, and off-label usage. This study aimed to monitor and analyze the recent trends in real-world usage patterns of GLP-1RAs for weight loss in the US, focusing on initiation and refill trends.
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 an index period spanning from January-2018 to June-2023. Index event was defined as first GLP-1RAs fill during this period. Patients aged 18-64 years, with at least one diagnosis of obesity or overweight, and continuous enrollment for one year pre- and post-index date, were included. Patients with a recorded history of Diabetes, pre-diabetes, impaired glucose levels, cancer, pregnancy or bariatric surgery were excluded from the analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 165,572 GLP-1RA initiations (IN) and 794,813 refill counts (RE) were recorded. A gradual increase in refill counts was observed from 2018-2019 (70%), followed by a significant surge in number of prescriptions for both IN and RE groups between 2020-2022 (IN, 365%; RE, 372%). Most patients were aged 35-54 (IN, 60%; RE, 61.7%) and were >3 times in number than other age groups (18-34, and 55-64 years); A majority of patients were female (IN, 79%; RE, 78.8%) and Caucasians (IN, 69.2%; RE, 69.1%). Most patients were from the Midwest (IN, 38.3%; RE, 36.9%), South (IN, 28.1%; RE, 27.1%) and Northeast (IN, 22.0%; RE, 24.4%) regions. Of all, most prescribed molecule was Semaglutide (IN, 53.6%; RE, 55.6%), followed by Liraglutide (IN, 30.7%; RE, 24.9%) and Tirzepatide (IN, 9.2%; RE, 12.3%).
CONCLUSIONS: The usage of GLP-1RAs gradually increased between 2017 and 2024. Variation in IN and RE prescription trends exist, indicating difference in approaches to manage 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 an index period spanning from January-2018 to June-2023. Index event was defined as first GLP-1RAs fill during this period. Patients aged 18-64 years, with at least one diagnosis of obesity or overweight, and continuous enrollment for one year pre- and post-index date, were included. Patients with a recorded history of Diabetes, pre-diabetes, impaired glucose levels, cancer, pregnancy or bariatric surgery were excluded from the analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 165,572 GLP-1RA initiations (IN) and 794,813 refill counts (RE) were recorded. A gradual increase in refill counts was observed from 2018-2019 (70%), followed by a significant surge in number of prescriptions for both IN and RE groups between 2020-2022 (IN, 365%; RE, 372%). Most patients were aged 35-54 (IN, 60%; RE, 61.7%) and were >3 times in number than other age groups (18-34, and 55-64 years); A majority of patients were female (IN, 79%; RE, 78.8%) and Caucasians (IN, 69.2%; RE, 69.1%). Most patients were from the Midwest (IN, 38.3%; RE, 36.9%), South (IN, 28.1%; RE, 27.1%) and Northeast (IN, 22.0%; RE, 24.4%) regions. Of all, most prescribed molecule was Semaglutide (IN, 53.6%; RE, 55.6%), followed by Liraglutide (IN, 30.7%; RE, 24.9%) and Tirzepatide (IN, 9.2%; RE, 12.3%).
CONCLUSIONS: The usage of GLP-1RAs gradually increased between 2017 and 2024. Variation in IN and RE prescription trends exist, indicating difference in approaches to manage weight loss.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-05, ISPOR 2025, Montréal, Quebec, CA
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S1
Code
RWD170
Topic
Real World Data & Information Systems
Topic Subcategory
Distributed Data & Research Networks
Disease
SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)