GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy revolutionized weight loss, but their high cost keeps them out of reach for most Americans.

Among over 125,000 patients, 53.6% discontinued their GLP-1 receptor agonist by 1 year, and these rates were significantly higher for patients without versus with type 2 diabetes (64.8% vs 46.5%), reported Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues.

Approximately 15.5 million Americans have been or currently are on injectable diabetes or weight-loss medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, including the popular name brands Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Eli Lilly forecast annual profit largely above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, providing some relief to investors after another quarter of sales miss for its popular diabetes and weight-loss treatments.