By Bhanvi Satija

Aug 14 (Reuters) - More than one in four U.S. adults

with diabetes used one of the injectable medicines that target

the GLP-1 protein last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

The wildly popular and effective GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro from

Eli Lilly ( LLY ) and Ozempic from Novo Nordisk are

approved in the United States for treating type 2 diabetes. They

are sold as Zepbound and Wegovy, respectively, for weight loss

and are being tested for other conditions.

Use of the injectable drugs was highest among adults with

diabetes aged 50-64 at 33.3%, reflecting the more significant

disease burden in this group, the report said.

A quarter or 25.3% of adults with diabetes aged 18 to 34

reported using a GLP-1 drug, while the adoption rate was 20.8%

among those 65 and older.

The data are from a nationally representative annual survey

of U.S. adults aged 18 and older that was conducted in person

and with follow-up by phone in 2024.

In 2024, for the first time, participants in the annual

survey who had diabetes were asked if they were using the Lilly

or Novo blockbusters or other GLP-1 drugs to lower blood sugar

or lose weight.

The drugs mimic the activity of a hormone that regulates

blood sugar levels, slows digestion and helps people feel full

for longer.

Drugmakers Lilly and Novo have faced criticism about the

cost of the treatments, which carry a list price of about $1,000

for a month's supply.

Roughly 31% of survey participants who reported using

insulin also reported using GLP-1 drugs, as did about 28% of

patients who were using oral drugs to control their blood sugar,

according to the report, indicating that these treatments are

being integrated into combination regimens.

Hispanic adults with diabetes had the highest rate of GLP-1

use, at 31.3%, followed by Black non-Hispanic and White

non-Hispanic adults, at 26.5% and 26.2%, respectively, the

survey found.

Only 12.1% of Asian non-Hispanic adults with diabetes used

the drugs, which may reflect disparities in access or adoption

of the therapies.