CHICAGO — A new study presented at ENDO 2026, the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in Chicago, revealed rates of discontinuation and reinitiation of GLP-1 medications among U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes. The research found that approximately 40% of patients stopped their GLP-1 medication within one year of initiation, with nearly 60% discontinuing by the end of two years.

The study analyzed Komodo Health U.S. claims data from January 2019 to June 2025, encompassing insurance records from more than 60,000 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Participants were adults aged 18 to 64 with a BMI of 25 kg/m² or higher who initiated liraglutide, semaglutide, or tirzepatide. Medication discontinuation was defined as a gap of more than 60 days between prescription refills, while reinitiation involved obtaining a new prescription fill after discontinuation. Cox proportional hazards models were used to account for sociodemographic, clinical, and provider-level variables.

Sainikhil Sontha, a research associate at Boston University School of Public Health, said, "Our study asked two questions that haven't been well answered until now: How many people with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 medications actually stop using them? And how many restart them?" "Using insurance records from more than 60,000 Americans with type 2 diabetes, we found that about 4 in 10 patients stopped their GLP-1 medication within the first year, and nearly 6 in 10 had stopped by the end of two years." "More than half of those who stopped restarted therapy within a year (41.5%), and nearly two-thirds did so within two years (58%)."

Patients covered by Medicaid or Medicare were more likely to discontinue GLP-1 medication within one year, as were Black patients. Additionally, patients reporting nausea or other gastrointestinal side effects showed a higher likelihood of discontinuing the medication within one year. However, patients whose initial prescription came from an endocrinologist were 10% less likely to discontinue therapy. Patients prescribed tirzepatide were 41% less likely to discontinue therapy compared to those prescribed older medications, and those prescribed semaglutide were 28% less likely to discontinue compared to those prescribed older medications.

Sontha said, "This suggests that for many patients, these medications aren't being abandoned permanently; use is more start-and-stop than most people assumed." "This research matters because consistent use of these medications is what produces their protective effects." "Stopping early may mean missed opportunities to prevent heart attacks, kidney disease progression and other complications."