GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Dispensing Up From 2020 to 2023 for Teens and Young Adults

May 23, 2024

For adolescents and young adults, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) dispensing increased from 2020 to 2023, according to a research letter published online May 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Joyce M. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined GLP-1 RA dispensing nationally during 2020 to 2023 among adolescents and young adults using data obtained from the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Database.

The researchers observed an increase in the number of adolescents and young adults with GLP-1 RA dispensing, from 8,722 to 60,567 (594.4 percent), between 2020 and 2023. For comparison, a 3.1 percent decrease was seen in the number with dispensation of drugs other than GLP-1 RAs. The number of male and female adolescents with GLP-1 RA dispensing increased 503.8 and 587.5 percent, respectively. The number of male and female young adults with GLP-1 RA dispensing increased 481.1 and 659.4 percent, respectively. Overall, 60.0 percent of the adolescents dispensed a GLP-1 RA in 2023 were female and 45.7 percent resided in the South. Among young adults, the corresponding proportions were 76.4 and 46.3 percent. In both age groups, the last dispensed prescription in 2023 was most often for semaglutide for type 2 diabetes.

“Evaluation of the long-term safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of GLP-1 RAs in adolescents and young adults is needed,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)