The Study
Healthcare Cost Trends in New Users of SGLT-2i, DPP-4i and GLP-1 RA for Type 2 Diabetes: An Observational Longitudinal Study.
This study looked at how much money people spent on medicine and doctor visits after starting different diabetes pills. It found that people who started one kind of pill (GLP-1 RA) tended to spend more on their prescriptions, but it doesn’t prove that the pill itself made them spend more — maybe those people were sicker or had better insurance.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at how much money people with type 2 diabetes spend on medicine and doctor visits after starting different types of diabetes pills.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 558 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—higher drug prices directly increase overall healthcare spending without saving money elsewhere, which matters for insurance plans and patients.
- 2People who started GLP-1 drugs spent much more on pharmacy costs in the first year—no less on hospital visits or doctor appointments compared to those who started other pills.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism
Year
2026
Authors
Casey P Durand, M. Eatherly, Aaron Yao, T. Dollear, A. Inneh, Urvashi Patel
Related Content
Claims (6)
When older adults are prescribed GLP-1 agonists, the total cost of their prescription medications increases for Medicare.
Among adults with type 2 diabetes, starting GLP-1 receptor agonists results in similar total medical costs over two years as starting SGLT-2 inhibitors or DPP-4 inhibitors, even though GLP-1 agonists are more expensive as prescription drugs.
Adults with type 2 diabetes who start GLP-1 receptor agonists pay more for their medications in the first year than those who start SGLT-2 inhibitors or DPP-4 inhibitors, and this higher cost is not offset by lower spending on other medical services over two years.
For adults with type 2 diabetes, the increased cost of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications starts within the first year of use and remains similar in the second year, showing that the higher expense is ongoing and not temporary.
In the first year after starting treatment, adults with type 2 diabetes who begin GLP-1 receptor agonists incur higher total healthcare costs than those who start SGLT-2 inhibitors or DPP-4 inhibitors, because drug costs are higher and there is no corresponding decrease in other medical expenses.
The higher cost of GLP-1 receptor agonists compared to other type 2 diabetes drugs comes mostly from pharmacy pricing and insurance formulary rules, not from medical care expenses.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.