##BACKGROUND Weight loss is a cornerstone of therapy for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Incretin medications (IM) including glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) and combination glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 RAs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight management. Access to these medications can be difficult due to insurance approvals, cost, and availability of drugs. ##METHODS A 10-month, single center retrospective chart review was conducted for patients referred to a clinical pharmacist practitioner (CPP) at an academic medical center in North Carolina for review of pharmacological weight loss options as part of a multidisciplinary MASLD team. ##RESULTS Forty-two patients with MASLD were referred for medical weight loss therapy. Initial IM approval was granted for 11 patients (26%). After prior authorization (PA), appeal, or failure of an alternative medication, 22 patients (52%) started IM. A total of 132 minutes of CPP time was required to achieve a single IM start. ##LIMITATIONS The sample size of 42 patients may be too small to make statistically significant comparisons and detect differences among groups. Additionally, all patients were seen by a CPP at an academic medical center (AMC), which may not be applicable to the general population. ##CONCLUSIONS Incretin therapies are a beneficial option for patients with MASLD complicated by obesity and diabetes, but access needs to be improved and time burden on providers and clinical staff should be recognized.
Hurr et al. (Thu,) studied this question.