Use of GLP-1 Drugs to Treat Overweight or Obesity Increased 587 Percent from 2019 to 2024, According to New FAIR Health Study

GLP-1 Prescriptions Increased 364 Percent for All Adults, and 588 Percent for Younger Adults

Bariatric Surgeries Declined 42 Percent

NEW YORK, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Over two percent of adult patients now take a GLP-1 drug to treat overweight or obesity, according to newly released FAIR Health data. Among all adult patients, the percentage who had an overweight or obesity diagnosis and were prescribed a GLP-1 drug increased from 0.30 percent in 2019 to 2.05 percent in 2024, a relative increase of 586.7 percent. The percentage who received an overweight or obesity diagnosis but no type 2 diabetes diagnosis increased 1,960.9 percent, from 0.03 percent to 0.67 percent. These and other findings are reported in a FAIR Health white paper released today: Obesity and GLP-1 Drugs: A Claims-Based Analysis.

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The percentage of all commercially insured adult patients prescribed a GLP-1 drug increased from 0.9 percent in 2019 to 4.0 percent in 2024, a relative increase of 363.7 percent, with prescriptions for young adults (aged 18-39) increasing 587.8 percent over that time, from 0.19 percent to 1.33 percent. The percentage of adult patients who had bariatric surgery decreased from 0.12 percent in 2019 to 0.07 percent in 2024, a relative decrease of 41.8 percent.

Obesity is a common and serious disease. In recent years, a new class of medications for obesity has become available: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. In this report, FAIR Health delves into its repository of over 51 billion commercial healthcare claim records, the nation's largest such database, to examine trends in obesity and GLP-1 drug prescriptions among adult patients during the period 2019-2024. This study focuses on trends in diagnosis of overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as GLP-1 drugs and other obesity treatment options (including bariatric surgery and behavioral health services). The key findings include the following:

• From 2019 to 2024, the percentage of adult patients with a diagnosis of overweight or obesity increased from 10.4 percent in 2019 to 15.7 percent in 2024, a relative increase of 50.7 percent. As discussed in the Results section of the white paper, many adult patients who are overweight or obese may not receive a medical diagnosis of overweight or obesity.
• Among all adult patients prescribed a GLP-1 drug, the percentage who had an overweight or obesity diagnosis and no type 2 diabetes diagnosis increased from 3.7 percent in 2019 to 16.5 percent in 2024, a relative increase of 344.4 percent.
• Diagnoses of pancreatitis increased from 0.17 percent in the year before the first GLP-1 drug prescription to 0.31 percent in the year after for patients who did not have a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. This was an increase of over 80 percent, the largest percent increase among the co-occurring diagnoses examined.
• From 2019 to 2024, among all adult patients with an overweight or obesity diagnosis, the percentage who were prescribed a GLP-1 drug but did not have bariatric surgery increased from 2.5 percent in 2019 to 11.2 percent in 2024, a relative increase of 339.5 percent.
• In 2024, over 80 percent of patients with an overweight or obesity diagnosis did not receive a GLP-1 prescription, bariatric surgery or behavioral health service. Only 11.2 percent of such patients received a GLP-1 prescription, 6.3 percent received behavioral health services and 0.28 percent had bariatric surgery.
• The use of behavioral health services decreased dramatically for patients prescribed GLP-1 drugs during the study period. Out of all patients with an overweight or obesity diagnosis who were prescribed a GLP-1 drug, the percentage of patients who had behavioral health services related to their condition declined from 2019 to 2024. In 2019, 47.2 percent of such patients had behavioral health services, but in 2024, only 12.4 percent of patients did, a relative decrease of 73.7 percent.

For the complete white paper, click here.

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About FAIR Health

FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data, which includes over 51 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of about 4 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its commercial data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D, which accounts for a separate collection of over 51 billion claim records; FAIR Health includes among the commercial claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:
Rachel Kent
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

SOURCE FAIR Health