Off-label GLP-1 use increased fifteenfold between 2021 and 2025, according to a study published Sept. 22 in Obesity.
Researchers analyzed medical records from more than 92 million U.S. adults to examine GLP-1 use among patients without a documented condition that would make them eligible for the medications, such as obesity or diabetes.
Here are five things to know:
- More than 1.1 million patients were taking GLP-1 medications without a documented condition that would make them eligible for the drugs.
- GLP-1 prescriptions among these patients increased fifteenfold between 2021 and 2025.
- More than 1 in 3 off-label GLP-1 users had a normal BMI.
- Patients using GLP-1s off-label were more likely to have a documented eating disorder, though they represented a small fraction of off-label users. Researchers did not examine why the medications were prescribed.
- The findings may underestimate off-label use. Researchers said their analysis may not capture prescriptions obtained through telehealth companies or compounded GLP-1 medications.
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