A Retrospective Comparative Analysis of Cutaneous Adverse Reactions in GLP-1 Agonist Therapies.

Abstract

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and have recently gained approval and popularity for treating obesity and weight loss. There is a lack of data evaluating the types of reactions associated with this medication class, and this study aimed to characterize the types of cutaneous reactions seen across different GLP-1 agonists, and whether differences exist in reactions based on the reason for medication use. Through a retrospective review of cutaneous adverse events associated with semaglutide, dulaglutide, tirzepatide, lixisenatide, liraglutide, and exenatide in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System, it was found that the 5 most common cutaneous reactions associated with GLP-1 agonists were eczematous, pruritus, drug eruptions, hyperhidrosis, and alopecia. Life-threatening cutaneous adverse events accounted for 2.17% of all cutaneous reactions, with no statistically significant differences observed between drug types. It was also found that GLP-1 agonist use for T2DM exhibited significantly higher rates of alopecia (P=0.000) and hyperhidrosis (P=0.000) in comparison to use for weight management. J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24(4):413-415. doi:10.36849/JDD.8605.