Dulaglutide

FRIDAY, July 12, 2024 -- Three of four patients stop taking semaglutide (Ozempic or Wegovy) two years after being prescribed the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) for weight loss, according to new analysis conducted by Prime Therapeutics and Magellan Rx Management (MRx). For the review, pharmacy and medical claims data for 3,364 people with insurance plans that cover GLP-1 RAs were examined. Patients had received new prescriptions between January and December 2021, and all were diagnosed with obesity. Importantly, the analysis excluded patients using the drugs for type 2 diabetes, for which GLP-1 RAs were originally developed. While the report did not delve into why patients quit, it does offer a sobering view of the real-world experiences of people taking the drugs. With Wegovy, just 24.1 percent of patients stayed on the medication over two years without a gap of 60 days or more, down from 36 percent who stayed on the drug for one year. With Ozempic, which has the same active ingredient as Wegovy, 22.2 percent of patients kept filling their prescriptions at two years, down from 47.1 percent who had used it for one year. While the new analysis did not ask patients why they stopped using the drugs, it is likely due to a mix of side effects such as nausea and vomiting, out-of-pocket costs not covered by insurance, and supply shortages, analysis coauthor Patrick Gleason, M.D., assistant vice president for health outcomes at Prime/MRx, told Reuters . Some patients may decide to stop the medication once they lose the desired weight, even though research has shown many patients who quit gain the weight back. "GLP-1s are unlikely to deliver therapeutic value when so many individuals stop treatment after two years, but the findings also illustrate the need for obesity care management programs to improve adherence," David Lassen, chief clinical officer at Prime/MRx, said in a news release . More Information Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

THURSDAY, July 11, 2024 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with a reduced risk for 10 of 13 obesity-associated cancers (OACs) compared with insulin, according to a study published online July 5 in JAMA Network Open . Lindsey Wang, from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues compared the incident risk for each of 13 OACs in patients with T2D prescribed GLP-1 RAs versus insulins or metformin in a retrospective cohort study. The study population included 1,651,452 patients with T2D with no prior diagnosis of OACs. The researchers found that in 10 of 13 OACs, GLP-1 RAs compared with insulin were associated with a significant risk reduction including in gallbladder cancer, meningioma, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, esophageal cancer, endometrial cancer, and kidney cancer (hazard ratios, 0.35, 0.37, 0.41, 0.47, 0.52, 0.54, 0.59, 0.60, 0.74, and 0.76, respectively). The hazard ratio for stomach cancer was <1 but was not statistically significant for those taking GLP-1 RAs versus insulin. The risks for postmenopausal breast cancer or thyroid cancer were not reduced in association with GLP-1 RA use. Compared with metformin, GLP-1 RAs were not associated with a significantly reduced risk for any cancers, but an increased risk for kidney cancer was seen (hazard ratio, 1.54). "The potential cancer-preventative effects of OACs by GLP-1 RAs warrant further long-term studies as well as studies of individual newer and possibly more effective antidiabetic and weight loss agents as well as those with multihormone agonist activities," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.