In real use, far fewer last a year than finish a trial
Among commercially insured US adults without diabetes, one-year persistence rose from 33.2% of 2021 starters to 58.6% of those starting in early 2024. In its trial, 92.8% finished.
What the study found
A third of 2021 starters were still on it a year later
Trials are a poor guide to what happens outside them. Among commercially insured US adults without diabetes, one-year persistence with semaglutide rose from 33.2% of 2021 starters to 58.6% of those starting in early 2024. In its two-year randomised trial, 92.8% finished.
The caveat · Gaps in refills, not choices to stop
Persistence was inferred from gaps between prescription fills, which cannot tell someone who chose to stop from someone who lost their insurance or could not fill during the shortage. Only 53.6% of the initiators found met the continuous-enrolment rule, and people who keep coverage are probably the more persistent ones, so the real figures are likely lower still. The analysis was run by a pharmacy benefit manager. Commercially insured Americans only.