Diabetes
Treatment
and GLP-1s

Diabetes treatment isn’t cut and dry, especially with the rise of GLP-1s. Here’s some clear and concise advice.

You may be hearing a lot about GLP-1s lately. Whether it’s in the news, through social media or directly from your members, the interest in these cutting-edge drugs as a treatment for type 2 diabetes — and, separately, for weight loss — has skyrocketed.

Diabetes is a chronic condition affecting more than 37 million Americans. Most of those cases are type 2 diabetes. As with any chronic condition, management of type 2 diabetes is multifaceted. GLP-1s can be an important tool in managing this condition.

What are GLP-1s

Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1) are a class of medications that can be extremely effective at reducing blood sugar and A1C levels for those with type 2 diabetes. They can also lower overall body weight, blood pressure and lipid levels.¹ But these drugs also come with a high price tag.

In fact, GLP-1 agonists are the fastest growing class of diabetes medicines with a 36% five-year compound annual growth rate and accounting for 16% of prescriptions in 2023.² Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois recommends that GLP-1s should be used in coordination with other treatment strategies, like healthy eating, exercise, preventive care and more.

Total care management

Members with type 2 diabetes may need support to understand how GLP-1s might fit into their personal treatment plan and what to expect when taking this type of treatment. In a recent study, only one-third of people who started a GLP-1 medication were still taking it at the one-year mark.³

Members need to discuss GLP-1 medication with their doctors to determine the drawbacks and whether it is good for them, individually.

Learn more

Groups with Prime Therapeutics as their pharmacy benefit manager should contact their account executive for more information. Groups without Prime should discuss coverage and management strategies with their pharmacy benefit manager.

1. Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists for Type 2 Diabetes, Diabetes Spectrum, Aug. 2017

2. IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, The Use of Medicines in the U.S. 2024: Usage and Spending Trends and Outlook to 2028, April 2024

3. Real-World Analysis of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Agonist (GLP-1a) Obesity Treatment One Year Cost-Effectiveness and Therapy Adherence, Prime Therapeutics, July 2023

Prime Therapeutics, LLC is a separate company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois contracts with to provide pharmacy solutions. BCBSIL, as well as several independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, has an ownership interest in Prime Therapeutics. MyPrime.com  is a pharmacy benefit website offered by Prime Therapeutics LLC.