GLP‑1s: who’s using them

Glucagon-like peptide 1 drugs copy a gut hormone that helps the body release insulin, slow stomach emptying and curb appetite. In the United States, 12% of adults now say they are currently taking one for weight loss, diabetes or another condition. (kff.org) That 12% figure comes from a KFF poll published November 14, 2025, up from 6% who said they were currently taking a glucagon-like peptide 1 drug in KFF’s May 2024 survey. KFF said women reported higher current use than men, 15% to 9%, and adults ages 50 to 64 reported the highest use at 22%. (kff.org, kff.org) These medicines were first used mainly for Type 2 diabetes, because the hormone signal tells the pancreas to release insulin when glucose is high and also suppresses glucagon, another hormone that raises blood sugar. Review articles also describe added effects on body weight and cardiovascular risk, which helped expand use beyond blood-sugar control. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, diabetesjournals.org) The market is shifting again in 2026. The Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly’s once-daily orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, on April 1, 2026, and Clarivate has highlighted Lilly’s orforglipron and retatrutide as drugs to watch in the next wave of obesity treatment. (fda.gov, clarivate.com) Retatrutide is still investigational, not approved, and remains in Phase 3 testing. A ClinicalTrials.gov listing updated March 20, 2026, shows Eli Lilly recruiting for TRIUMPH-8, one of its late-stage obesity studies. (clinicaltrials.gov, clarivate.com) Even with wider use, response is uneven. Stanford Medicine said on April 10, 2026, that genetic variants carried by roughly 10% of the general population may reduce how well these drugs lower blood sugar, a pattern the researchers called glucagon-like peptide 1 resistance. (med.stanford.edu) That Stanford-led study, published April 10 in Genome Medicine, focused on blood-sugar control rather than weight loss. The researchers said it is still unclear whether the same variants also blunt weight-loss effects from drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. (med.stanford.edu, sciencedaily.com) A separate Nature study published April 8, 2026, tied variation in the GLP1R and GIPR genes to differences in weight loss and side effects in 27,885 people who reported using glucagon-like peptide 1 medicines. The authors said those findings could help sort patients by likely benefit and nausea risk before treatment starts. (nature.com) Cost is still a brake on use. In KFF’s November 2025 poll, 56% of current or former users said the drugs were difficult to afford, and 14% of users said they had stopped taking them because of cost. (kff.org) So the picture in April 2026 is two-track: more Americans are taking glucagon-like peptide 1 drugs, and drugmakers are adding new pills and pipeline products. At the same time, genetics, side effects and price are shaping who benefits and who stays on treatment. (kff.org, nature.com, med.stanford.edu, fda.gov)