1‑in‑8 Americans on GLP‑1s

Glucagon-like peptide 1 drugs, known as GLP-1s, copy gut hormones that slow stomach emptying and curb appetite — and about one in eight U.S. adults now say they are taking one. (kff.org) KFF said in a November 14, 2025 poll that 12% of adults were currently taking a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, diabetes, or another condition. In KFF’s earlier May 10, 2024 poll, 12% said they had ever taken one and 6% said they were taking one at that time. (kff.org) These medicines started as diabetes drugs, then moved into obesity treatment under brand names such as Wegovy and Zepbound. The Food and Drug Administration in March 2024 expanded Wegovy’s label to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity. (fda.gov) The Food and Drug Administration also approved Zepbound in December 2024 for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, the first drug cleared for that use. Those added approvals gave doctors more reasons to prescribe the same class beyond blood sugar control or weight loss alone. (fda.gov) Cost still limits access. KFF said about half of current or recent GLP-1 users in its November 2025 poll found the drugs difficult to afford, including people with insurance, and 31% of current users said they had trouble getting insurance to pay. (kff.org) Supply has shifted, too. The Food and Drug Administration said tirzepatide injection shortages were resolved by December 19, 2024, and semaglutide injection shortages were resolved by February 21, 2025, moves that tightened the rules for many compounded copies. (fda.gov; content.govdelivery.com) That has not ended the fight over access. Compounders and pharmacies have challenged the Food and Drug Administration’s shortage decisions in court, while drugmakers argue branded supply is now available and compounded versions should no longer fill the gap. (courthousenews.com; fda.gov) The scale now reaches well beyond a niche obesity treatment. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data brief published in August 2025 found injectable GLP-1 use was already common among adults with diagnosed diabetes in the 2024 National Health Interview Survey. (cdc.gov) The result is a market that now touches primary care, cardiology, sleep medicine, pharmacy benefit design, and household budgets at the same time. What looked like a blockbuster drug launch in 2023 has become a routine part of care for millions of Americans by 2026. (kff.org; fda.gov)