- Overall prescribing rates (GLP-1 RA prescriptions per total prescriptions) in June 2024 increased slightly relative to March 2024 (+8.43%).
- Month-over-month anti-diabetic medication (ADM) prescribing increased in April and May 2024 then decreased slightly in June 2024. ADM prescribing in June 2024 remained approximately the same as March 2024 (+0.92%). Among ADMs, semaglutide (brand name Ozempic) was the most prescribed medication. In late 2023, tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro) surpassed dulaglutide (brand name Trulicity) as the second most commonly prescribed ADM.
- Anti-obesity medication (AOM) prescribing increased in June 2024 compared to March 2024 (+27.1%). Semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) was the most commonly prescribed AOM, followed by AOM tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound). Prescribing of AOM tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound) was observed in the first month of availability in pharmacies, December 2023.
Limited recent data exist on prescribing patterns and patient characteristics for GLP-1 RA medications, whether used as anti-diabetic medication (ADM) for patients with type 2 diabetes and/or used as an anti-obesity medication (AOM) for patients with overweight or obesity. Interest in these medications has recently accelerated, largely for their weight-loss effects, although access to and use of GLP-1 RA medications may be impacted by high cost, limited insurance coverage for patients without T2D and medication shortages.
To offer insight into the latest trends about these medications, Truveta Research has created the GLP-1 RA monitoring report, which will be updated periodically with fresh, timely data. Because Truveta Data provides the most complete, timely, and clean de-identified EHR data, including full patient medical records, notes, and images, linked with claims, SDOH, and mortality data for more than 100 million patients across the US, we can show the latest trends in these medications.
This blog provides a snapshot of the key findings in the most recent report; including prescribing and medication dispensing (indicates whether the patient picked up the medication) trends. For the full analysis – inclusive of demographics, comorbidities, and social drivers of health data for the population, methodology, additional findings, limitations, and citations – you can view the complete report on MedRxiv or directly within Truveta Studio.
Key findings: Prescribing trends
Using a subset of real-world electronic health record (EHR) data from Truveta, Truveta Research identified people who were prescribed a GLP-1 RA between January 01, 2018 and June 30, 2024. We describe prescribing volumes and patient characteristics over time, by medication, and by FDA-labeled use (e.g., ADM, AOM, or unknown).
Overall prescribing trends
The study found that 1,162,662 patients were prescribed a GLP-1 RA between January 2018 and June 2024, with 4,815,135 total prescriptions during this period.
Overall prescribing rates (GLP-1 RA prescriptions per total prescriptions) in June 2024 increased slightly relative to March 2024 (+8.43%).
Month-over-month ADM prescribing increased in April and May 2024 then decreased slightly in June 2024. ADM prescribing in June 2024 remained approximately the same as March 2024 (+0.92%). Among ADMs, semaglutide (brand name Ozempic) was the most prescribed medication. In late 2023, tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro) surpassed dulaglutide (brand name Trulicity) as the second most commonly prescribed ADM.
AOM prescribing increased in June 2024 compared to March 2024 (+27.1%). Semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) was the most commonly prescribed AOM, followed by AOM tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound). Prescribing of AOM tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound) was observed in the first month of availability in pharmacies, December 2023.
Trends in first-time prescribing
First-time prescribing rates (first-time GLP-1 RA prescriptions per total prescriptions) in June 2024 were slightly lower than rates in March 2024 (-6.90%).
Among first-time prescriptions for which use could be established, ADMs accounted for 83.0% and AOMs accounted for 17.0%. The most common first-time medication was semaglutide (n = 644,272).
First-time prescribing of ADMs decreased in June 2024, relative to March 2024 (-19.71%).
First-time prescribing of AOMs increased slightly in June 2024, compared to March 2024 (+7.26%).
While overall prescribing of semaglutide increased throughout second quarter of 2024, the rate of first-time prescribing of semaglutide slowed from 0.9% of prescriptions in May 2024 to 0.7% in June 2024. Similar declines were observed for ADM (brand name Ozempic), AOM (brand name Wegovy), and unknown semaglutide. New prescribing rates of tirzepatide decreased in each of the 3 months over the last quarter.
Dispense trends
Dispense refers to prescription fills, indicating that the patient picked up the medication from their pharmacy and provides the closest proxy for use.
During the full time period (January 2018 – June 2024), 73.7% of GLP-1 RA prescriptions had a dispense within 60 days of their prescription (e.g., were initiated within 60 days).
Among those with available data, 70.0% of first-time ADM prescriptions overall and 73.7% in March 2024 had a fill within 60 days. Initiation rates for ADM GLP-1 RA increased slightly in March 2024, relative to December 2023 (+1.72%).
By comparison, 43.6% of first-time AOM prescriptions overall and 47.2% in March 2024 had a fill within 60 days. Initiation rates for AOM GLP-1 RA increased substantially in March 2024, relative to December 2023 (+41.41%).
Discussion
With the popularity of GLP-1 RA medications and challenges in access and insurance coverage, we will continue to monitor these prescribing and dispensing trends over time.
The GLP-1 RA monitoring report describes more detailed information about the overall population of patients being prescribed these medications (including demographics, comorbidities, social drivers of health data like income and education, and more), and the proportion and characteristics of patients who filled a GLP-1 RA prescription over time using dispenses. Methodologies, limitations, and additional citations are also available in the full report. You can also view the full study in Truveta Studio.
These are preliminary research findings and not peer reviewed. All data are preliminary and may change as additional data are obtained. These findings are consistent with data accessed July 17, 2024. Data presented in this analysis represent raw counts and/or rates, and post-stratification methods have not been conducted.