Plate Nº 20 · recorded September 30, 2026
Health & Medicine ResearchReported finding
Women dominate GLP-1 drug use, yet evidence gaps persist
Women are the main users of GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drugs, yet researchers say critical evidence gaps remain and call for worldwide action to close them.
By Marcus Bennett3 min read589 words
In brief
- Women are and will remain the predominant users of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs worldwide
- The paper was presented at the EASD Annual Meeting in Milan (Sept 28–Oct 2) and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health
- Authors include Prof. Paul Franks (Lund University, Sweden) and Prof. Claire Meek (Leicester Diabetes Research Centre, UK), who call for a stronger evidence base across the board
Women make up the majority of users of GLP-1 receptor agonists — the widely prescribed diabetes and weight-loss drug class that includes medications such as those used for obesity treatment — and that pattern is set to continue. Yet the scientific evidence supporting their use in women remains strikingly incomplete, according to a new paper presented at a major European diabetes conference.
The study is the second in a Series of papers presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held in Milan, Italy, from September 28 to October 2, and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health. Its authors include Professor Paul Franks of Lund University and Helsingborg Hospital in Helsingborg, Sweden, and Professor Claire Meek of the Leicester Diabetes Research Centre and Leicester NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Leicester, UK, together with colleagues.
Together, the researchers issue a clear call to action: the evidence base for GLP-1 receptor agonist use in women must improve worldwide, across the board.
What are GLP-1 receptor agonists?
GLP-1 receptor agonists, often abbreviated as GLP-1 RAs, are a class of drugs that mimic a natural gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. This hormone is released after eating and helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. By copying its effects, the drugs help lower blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes and, more recently, have become widely used for weight management.
Their popularity has surged in recent years, and women account for the largest share of users — a trend the authors expect to continue as demand for obesity treatment grows.
Why the evidence gap matters
Despite this heavy use by women, the paper argues that research has not kept pace. The authors examine a wide range of issues relating to GLP-1 RA use in women, spanning areas of women's health that have historically received less attention in clinical trials.
This imbalance matters because sex and gender can influence how drugs behave in the body — affecting dosing, side effects, and long-term outcomes. When women are underrepresented in trials, or when female-specific health questions go unasked, doctors must make treatment decisions based on incomplete information.
The paper forms part of a broader Series published in the journal and timed to coincide with the EASD meeting, one of the largest annual gatherings of diabetes researchers in Europe. Each paper in the Series tackles a different aspect of the topic, and this second installment focuses specifically on women's health.
A call to action
The central message from Franks, Meek, and their colleagues is straightforward: women are, and will remain, the predominant users of GLP-1 RA drugs, so the research community must close the evidence gaps that currently surround their use.
The authors do not question whether the drugs should be used by women. Instead, they argue that women deserve the same quality of evidence that supports treatment decisions in other groups — evidence that covers the full range of issues relevant to female health across the life course.
As is common with series papers of this kind, the findings represent the authors' expert assessment of the current state of the field rather than new clinical trial data. Readers should treat the identified gaps as a roadmap for future research rather than a verdict on current prescribing practice.
The paper was presented in Milan during the five-day EASD meeting, which ran from September 28 to October 2, and published simultaneously in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health.
via Medical Xpress (Source)
More from Marcus Bennett
Nearby plates
- GLP-1 Diabetes Drugs Show Real-World Benefits in Young People
- GLP-1 Drugs Linked to Nail Detachment in First Controlled Study
- Muscle-Sparing Antibody Halves Lean Mass Loss from Semaglutide
- Oral GLP-1 Pill Elecoglipron Tested in Obesity Trial
- Triple-Action Drug Retatrutide Delivers Major Weight Loss in Type 2 Diabetes