Real-World Prescribing of GLP-1s Among Patients With Overweight or Obesity in the United States
Author(s)
Rodriguez P, Cartwright B, Gratzl S, Brar R, Stucky N
Truveta Inc, Bellevue, WA, USA
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: GLP-1-based medications, approved as treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D) since 2005, have recently demonstrated effectiveness for reducing weight in patients with overweight or obesity. We describe recent trends in the real-world prescribing of GLP-1s among patients with overweight or obesity in the US. METHODS: Using a subset of US EHR data from Truveta, we identified patients with a history of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) or overweight (BMI ≥27) who were first prescribed a GLP-1 between January 2021 and May 2023. Patients had to receive regular care and have no history of Type I or gestational diabetes. We describe first-time prescribing volume over time, as well as patient demographic and health characteristics. When the FDA-approved condition for the prescription could be identified or inferred using brand or generic name, we evaluated whether the patient had a history of the approved condition (on-label use). RESULTS: Overall, 21,656 patients with overweight or obesity were newly prescribed a GLP-1 between January 2021 and May 2023 and met our inclusion criteria (semaglutide: 14,869, liraglutide: 2,352, tirzepatide: 2,295, other GLP-1: 2,140). Mean (SD) patient age was 52.2 (13.4) and 74.3% were female. January to May prescription volumes were 9.2x higher in 2023 and 2.8x in 2022, compared to 2021. Overall, 36.2% of patients had comorbid T2D (semaglutide: 33.3%, liraglutide: 17.8%, tirzepatide: 32.9%, other: 80.7%). We identified or inferred the FDA-approved condition for 70% (n=15,118) of prescriptions (semaglutide: 61%, liraglutide: 65%, tirzepatide: 100%, other: 100%), 64% (n=9,707) of which were for T2D-approved medications. Of these, 55% (n=5,389) were prescribed on-label (semaglutide: 55% on-label, liraglutide: 50% on-label, tirzepatide: 33% on-label, other: 81% on-label). CONCLUSIONS: New use of GLP-1s among patients with overweight or obesity has increased since 2021, with many patients prescribed T2D-approved medications. Continued monitoring is needed as regulatory approvals and coverage decisions for GLP-1s evolve.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2023-11, ISPOR Europe 2023, Copenhagen, Denmark
Value in Health, Volume 26, Issue 11, S2 (December 2023)
Code
HSD30
Topic
Study Approaches
Topic Subcategory
Electronic Medical & Health Records
Disease
Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity), Drugs