WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Researchers at Cedars-Sinai and other institutions found that the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1RAs prescription medications are increasingly being used for weight loss.
The GLP-1 drugs, sold under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy in the U.S., were originally developed to treat patients suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the medication in 2021 for chronic weight management in adults battling with obesity or other weight-related conditions.
Since then, the demand for these prescription drugs has soared, raising concerns about potential drug shortages.
'This data suggests that more healthcare providers are seeing the benefits of these medications for treating obesity, which is a significant public health shift,' said Dr. Yee Hui Yeo, co-first author and a clinical fellow at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
'However, it also raises concerns about potential medication shortages and the need to ensure that patients with diabetes still have access to these treatments,' Yeo added.
For the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers analyzed medical records of around 45 million Americans who consulted a doctor between 2011 and 2023.
The findings showed that most of the new users of GLP-1 drugs were white women with a body mass index of 30 or above, whereas the proportion of new users with type 2 diabetes has decreased remarkably.
'Essentially, after the medication was approved for obesity, GLP-1RA use took off so quickly that we lost control and vision of how fast people were picking up these medications, and the trends of use are uncertain,' said co-first author Ali Rezaie medical director of the Cedars-Sinai GI Motility Program.
Researchers emphasized that the trend shift should be carefully monitored, as the drugs can reportedly cause several side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, and behavioral changes.
'We hope our findings will inform health care policies and promote equitable access to these essential treatments,' Yeo concluded.
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