Patients receiving injectable GLP-1 therapy through NYU Langone Health Specialty Pharmacy had a 3.9% first-year discontinuation rate, according to research shared Sept. 25 in The American Journal of Managed Care.
Here are four things to know:
- Researchers evaluated 2,943 treatment-naive adults who started injectable liraglutide, semaglutide, dulaglutide or tirzepatide between August 2022 and May 2025. Patients received pharmacist onboarding on day 1, reassessments at months 1 and 6 and ongoing follow-up.
- Of the 2,943 patients, 115 discontinued therapy within the first year. Discontinuation rates were 1.8% for tirzepatide, 6.1% for semaglutide, 5.9% for dulaglutide and 25% for liraglutide. The liraglutide and dulaglutide groups included only 20 and 17 patients, respectively.
- A second analysis of 1,707 adults receiving semaglutide or tirzepatide for obesity through an integrated health system specialty pharmacy found a median of five days from prescription receipt to first dispense. Prior authorization was required for 95% of patients, and the median out-of-pocket cost was $24.98.
- Both analyses were retrospective, relied on data from a single organization and lacked a comparator group.
