Real-world, digital-first delivery of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy in women
Abstract Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have demonstrated substantial weight reduction and cardiometabolic benefit in randomized trials; however, prospective implementation evidence from digital care models and female sex community populations remains limited. Here we report outcomes from an observational study of 8,127 women initiating GLP-1RA therapy (99.8% tirzepatide) through a structured digital program incorporating mandatory biochemical monitoring, weekly video-supported follow-up and clinician-guided dose titration in the UK. Mean weight reduction was 16.1 kg (95% confidence interval 15.9 to 16.2; P < 0.001), representing 15.5% of baseline weight; 83.1% achieved ≥10% and 22.4% achieved ≥20% weight loss, with consistent responses across age, baseline weight and socioeconomic strata. Among participants with paired biomarker data, mean glycated hemoglobin decreased by 3.3 mmol mol − 1 (95% confidence interval 3.1 to 3.4; P < 0.001), normalizing in 84.5% of those with baseline diabetes-range values and 96.3% with prediabetes, and lipid parameters improved significantly (reductions in total cholesterol of 0.77 mmol l − 1 , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of 0.61 mmol l − 1 and triglycerides of 0.47 mmol l − 1 ). Retention was 91.4% at 6 months, with no serious treatment-related adverse events. These findings support the feasibility of delivering structured, digitally enabled obesity pharmacotherapy at scale and provide prospective real-world implementation evidence for this care model. Interpretation is limited by the observational design, absence of a comparator group, self-pay population and 6-month follow-up.
Authors
- John Eric Deanfield (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8806-6052)
- Raj Thakkar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4811-6865)
- Michail Katsoulis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1756-9530)
- Riyaz S. Patel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4603-2393)
- Matthew J. Noble (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1174-186X)
- Donna H. Ryan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8374-2277)
- Jamie L. C. Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0052-5144)
- Emma Deanfield
- Rachael Joy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8984-0602)
Institutions
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center (US)
- Louisiana State University (US)
- Sustainable Home Survey (United Kingdom) (GB)
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (GB)
- Informa Healthcare (GB)
- University College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Medicine
- Published
- 2026-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04687-x
- Primary Topic
- Diabetes Treatment and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00