Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist Use in Hospital: A Multicentre Observational Study

Introduction: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are effective medications for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity, yet their uptake among patients most likely to benefit has been slow. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of medication exposure in adults hospitalized at 16 hospitals in Ontario, Canada between 2015 and 2022. We estimated the proportion with T2DM, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. We identified the frequency of GLP-1RA use, and conducted multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with their use. Results: Across 1,278,863 hospitalizations, 396,084 (31%) patients had T2DM and approximately 327,844 (26%) had obesity. GLP-1RA use (n=1,274) was low among those with T2DM (0.3%) and those with obesity (0.7%), despite high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (36%). In contrast, use of diabetes medications lacking cardiovascular benefits was high, with 60% (n=236,612) receiving insulin and 14% (n=54,885) receiving sulfonylureas. Apart from T2DM (OR=29.6, 95% CI 23.5, 37.2), characteristics associated with greater odds of receiving GLP-1RA were age 50-70 years (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.38, 2.11) compared to age < 50 years, hemoglobin A1C > 9% (OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.36, 2.47) compared to < 6.5%, and highest income quintile (OR=1.73, 95% CI 1.45, 2.07) compared to lowest income quintile. Conclusion: Knowledge translation interventions are needed to address the low adoption of GLP-1RA among hospitalized patients with T2DM and obesity, who are the most likely to benefit.