The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RA) and the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/GLP-1 RA tirzepatide has increased rapidly for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. This study aimed to describe real-world prescribing patterns, patient characteristics, and observational short-term changes in weight and blood pressure among adults receiving GLP-1 RA and dual GIP/GLP-1 RA in a tertiary academic healthcare setting in the United Arab Emirates. This retrospective observational study included adult patients prescribed GLP-1 RA or tirzepatide (dual GIP/GLP-1 RA) between January 2022 and December 2024. Electronic health records and pharmacy dispensing databases were reviewed. Prescription trends were standardized using monthly treatment units. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were described, and short-term changes in body weight and blood pressure were assessed where follow-up data were available. The mean treatment duration among patients with follow-up data was 6.99 months. An exploratory multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age group, sex, BMI category, treatment group, and HbA1c category was performed to evaluate factors associated with achieving clinically meaningful weight loss (≥ 5%). A total of 238 patient records and 1,744 dispensing records were analyzed. Utilization of GLP-1–based therapies increased by 371.7% over the study period, with a marked shift toward tirzepatide as the predominant agent. Most patients had obesity (83.6%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (89.0%), and multiple cardiometabolic comorbidities. Among patients with paired follow-up data, the mean percentage weight reduction was 3.91% (SD 7.32; 95% CI 2.70 to 5.12), and the mean treatment duration was 6.99 months (SD 3.69). Weight responses were heterogeneous, reflecting substantial interindividual variability in patient weight outcomes, with 35.6% achieving ≥ 5% weight loss and 25.1% experiencing weight gain. After adjustment for age group, sex, BMI category, treatment group, and HbA1c category, no independent association was observed between treatment group and achieving ≥ 5% weight loss. In this tertiary care setting, prescribing of GLP-1–based therapies expanded rapidly, accompanied by heterogeneous short-term changes in weight and blood pressure observed in routine clinical practice. These findings highlight the need for longer-term, multicentre studies to evaluate the real-world effectiveness, safety, and population-level impact of GLP-1 RA and dual GIP/GLP-1 RA. Not applicable.
Almemari et al. (Sun,) studied this question.