GLP‑1s reshape shopping
Wider GLP‑1 adoption is shifting how consumers shop and eat, and it's expanding the digital‑health ecosystem that surrounds weight and metabolic care ( ). Analysts also flagged late‑stage candidates from Eli Lilly — orforglipron and retatrutide — as defining drugs to watch as the market is projected to approach roughly $150 billion by 2035 (pharmexec.com).
GLP-1 drugs are no longer just changing prescriptions; they are changing what millions of Americans buy, eat, and wear. (hlth.com) Acosta Group said this week that current users are shifting toward high-protein, high-fiber, hydration, electrolyte, and gut-health products, and that 41% said they were pleased with healthier changes in their diets. The survey, fielded Feb. 13-25 among 2,117 U.S. adults, included 213 current GLP-1 users. (acosta.group) The same Acosta data found that half of GLP-1 users said their medication-driven habits had improved how their households eat, and that share rose to 79% among millennials. FreshFruitPortal reported those shifts are already being tracked by food companies and produce sellers looking for new demand. (freshfruitportal.com) These medicines work by mimicking gut hormones that slow digestion and reduce appetite, which means users often eat less and choose foods that feel more filling per bite. HLTH said that is helping push obesity care beyond the doctor’s office and into telehealth, wearables, and direct-to-consumer care models. (hlth.com) The market behind that shift is getting bigger. Clarivate’s “Drugs to Watch 2026” said Eli Lilly’s late-stage candidates orforglipron and retatrutide are among the medicines to watch in obesity and diabetes, in a market it projects could approach $150 billion by 2035. (pharmexec.com) Lilly said in December 2025 that retatrutide, a three-hormone drug aimed at GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors, met the main goals of its Phase 3 TRIUMPH-4 trial in adults with obesity or overweight and knee osteoarthritis. The company reported positive topline results for the two highest doses. (investor.lilly.com) Orforglipron is a different bet: a once-daily pill rather than an injection. Clarivate and industry coverage have singled it out because an oral option could widen access for patients who do not want weekly shots. (clarivate.com) The spillover is reaching beyond groceries. Circana said U.S. household usage of GLP-1 medications reached 23% as of September 2025, up four points from 2024, and tied that rise to what it called a “Body Transformation Economy” in apparel and footwear. (circana.com) Access is still uneven, even as adoption rises. FAIR Health said the share of adult patients with an overweight or obesity diagnosis who were prescribed a GLP-1 drug rose from 0.30% in 2019 to 2.05% in 2024, while KFF reported in May 2024 that 12% of U.S. adults said they had ever taken a GLP-1 drug and 6% said they were currently taking one. (fairhealth.org, kff.org) The backdrop is still a country with high obesity rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its updated December 3, 2025 maps that the 2024 data showed adult obesity prevalence across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories, keeping pressure on drugmakers, insurers, retailers, and digital-health companies to build around long-term weight care. (cdc.gov)
