GLP-1 use is growing fast, but plenty of people who could benefit still aren't getting treatment. What's holding them back? We started digging into that question with the latest data from our cardiometabolic health and weight management cohort.
The insights draw on responses from more than 165,000 people. Reported GLP-1 experience rose from 8.5% in May 2025 to 11.5% in May 2026. Among the 119,000 respondents actively trying to lose weight, 15% had used a GLP-1. Those numbers show a growing market, but they don’t tell a complete story. Access, affordability, and treatment experience vary widely, and the people driving growth aren't all moving through the same journey.
Who's actually using GLP-1s
Age is one dividing line: in May 2026, 16% of adults 40 to 49 and nearly 18% of adults 50 to 59 reported having used a GLP-1, well above the overall average. Gender is another: reported use was close to 14% among women, compared with 8% among men. Income shows the most prominent split: 16% among households earning $150,000 or more, versus 8% below $25,000 — a two-fold gap that tracks closely with who can absorb the cost.
These differences don't explain access challenges on their own, but they show why GLP-1 adoption isn't one steady curve. Someone may want treatment but can't get insurance coverage or afford the out-of-pocket cost. Someone else may start and later stop, because of side effects, supply issues, or a change in financial circumstances. Others never get as far as a conversation with a clinician.
And the data continues to back this up. Among people actively trying to lose weight, 76% reported no lifetime use of prescription weight management medication. Within that group, 76% had a BMI of 25 or higher and 39% had a BMI of 30 or higher. BMI alone doesn't determine whether a medication is appropriate, but a gap that size raises real questions: How many are interested but haven't pursued treatment? How many have run into cost, coverage, or information barriers? How many have already ruled it out over concerns about side effects or long-term use?
For market access, commercial, medical affairs, and patient insights teams, answering those questions matters as much as tracking overall adoption.
The data does not always show why
Claims and electronic health record data are essential for understanding diagnoses, prescriptions, refills, and discontinuation. What they can't always explain is what happens around those events: why someone puts off talking to a clinician, stretches out the time between doses, changes daily habits because of side effects, or turns to advice outside the healthcare system. Much of what shapes treatment behavior starts as an everyday concern long before it shows up in clinical or administrative data. Cost, uncertainty, side effects, and a lack of trusted information all affect whether someone starts treatment and whether they stay on it. Seeing that clearly means hearing from people directly and following how their needs and behavior change over time.
Our December 2025 research on GLP-1 microdosing is a good example. In a survey of more than 60,000 people, nearly one in seven injectable GLP-1 users said they'd microdosed at some point. The behavior appeared largely self-directed, with many respondents citing social media as their source of guidance. People described adjusting their dosing to manage side effects, cut costs, or transition toward maintenance — the kind of behavior that's nearly invisible in conventional healthcare data.
Broad labels like "non-user," "current user," and "discontinued" flatten very different experiences. A non-user might never have considered treatment, or wanted it and couldn't get it. A current user could be on track with no issues, or quietly struggling with cost or side effects. Someone marked "discontinued" might have hit their goal, lost coverage, run into tolerability problems, or decided the treatment wasn't right for them. Same label, different stories.
What this means for pharma teams
For teams bringing these products to market, that distinction changes how patient journeys get mapped and how access strategies, support programs, and evidence plans get built. Market access teams need to know where coverage and affordability barriers sit. Commercial teams need to understand what shapes a decision to start, stop, or switch. Medical affairs teams need to connect behavior with outcomes and clinical context over time.
We're continuing to explore these questions through direct engagement with this population, working toward a clearer picture of what shapes access, decision-making, and continued use. If this is a space your team is thinking about too, we'd welcome the conversation.