The Surging Popularity of GLP-1s By 2024, approximately 4% of Americans were taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist for weight loss, obesity, or type 2 diabetesa staggering 600% increase since 2018
Some compounding pharmacies may also utilize salt forms of the drug which lack approval for use in humans or animals respectively due to feared safety issues
With improvements in access and utilization rates high, employers should now focus more on unit cost and high-quality, appropriate treatment to ensure that employees are getting the right mental health support at the right time and for the appropriate duration.Figure 9: Strategies to Address Mental Health, 2026 Health Benefits at a Crossroads: A Call for Bold Action for Employers Heading into 2026, employers will need to navigate mounting health care costs, evaluate a growing array of solutions and consider new technologies and AI, which are disrupting many facets of health care
Increasing medication prescribing in primary care offices and settings could help increase access, Gregory said, but there is still a lot of work to be done in figuring out how to reduce these barriers to care and how to best deliver treatment in the most cost-effective, safe and effective ways
E.UsuelliV.PastoreI.LazzaroniE.et al (2022)
A 2025 systematic review mapped weight change after stopping anti-obesity medicines across 11 RCTs
