People prescribed GLP-1 drugs are more likely to start or stop taking them than most people realize, according to a study presented Sunday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
Our study raises two questions that have not been adequately answered to date. How many people with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 drugs actually stop taking them? And how many start again? ”
Sainikhil Sontha, M.A., Research Fellow, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using Komodo Health US claims data (January 2019 to June 2025). This group included adults aged 18 to 64 years with type 2 diabetes who had a BMI of 25 kg/m or higher, started taking liraglutide, semaglutide, or tirzepatide, enrolled within the past year, and had at least 6 months of follow-up.
Discontinuation was defined as a gap of 60 days or more between filling a GLP-1 prescription. A new filling after discontinuation is considered a restart.
“Using insurance records for more than 60,000 Americans with type 2 diabetes, we found that about 4 in 10 patients stopped taking GLP-1 drugs within the first year, and nearly 6 in 10 by the end of the second year,” Sonta said.
But they also found something encouraging.
“More than half (41.5%) of those who discontinued restarted treatment within one year, and almost two-thirds (58%) restarted treatment within two years,” Sonta said. “This suggests that for many patients, these drugs are not being abandoned forever. Use is more on-and-off than most people think.”
They also considered sociodemographic, clinical, and provider-level predictors using a Cox proportional hazards model.
Sontha et al. found that those receiving Medicaid or Medicare, black patients, and those experiencing nausea or other stomach-related side effects (37%) were more likely to discontinue GLP-1 drugs within a year.
People were 10% less likely to discontinue their first GLP-1 drug if it was prescribed by an endocrinologist.
Additionally, people taking newer drugs like tirzepatide were 41% less likely to discontinue than people taking older drugs like liraglutide. Semaglutide users were 28% less likely to discontinue their anti-obesity drug compared to those taking older drugs.
“This study is important because continued use of these drugs provides a preventive effect,” Sonta said. “If you stop early, you may miss an opportunity to prevent heart attack, progression of kidney disease, and other complications.”
Researchers hope these findings will give health care providers, insurance companies and policy makers an idea of which patients need more support to stay on GLP-1 drugs, he said.
