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GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) have reshaped modern medicine faster than almost any therapy in recent memory. What began as a diabetes management medication has rapidly evolved into a multi-condition intervention across metabolic health with demonstrated efficacy in type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular risk reduction, obstructive sleep apnea, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Research is ongoing into potential applications in kidney disease, substance abuse disorders, and other indications.
The clinical benefits of GLP-1 RAs have been well established but are contingent upon continued use, and long-term GLP-1 medication adherence remains a challenge for patients. Real-world persistence data underscores the magnitude of this challenge. A claims-based analysis of 4,066 commercially insured adults with obesity, newly initiating GLP-1 therapy without a diabetes diagnosis, found that overall adherence dropped to 46.3% at 180 days and to just 32.3% at one year. When almost 70% of patients discontinue a medicine after a year, thus forfeiting the potential benefits, we clearly have a problem.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials demonstrated that cessation of GLP-1 RA therapy results in a clinically significant reversal of therapeutic benefits, including substantial increases in body weight, waist circumference, BMI, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and HbA1c%. The time invested, the costs absorbed, and the weight loss does not translate into lasting benefit without sustained adherence.
Healthcare providers and payers grapple with the same questions:
- How do you keep patients on GLP-1 RA therapy for as long as they need it when real-world attrition is high?
- How do you effectively coach someone through ongoing dose titration?
- How do you set expectations about the range of expected side effects so patients don’t quit their medications as a result?
How Oura’s GLP-1 Insights feature works
In light of the side-effect profile that some patients may experience on GLP-1 medications, Oura built GLP-1 Insights as a companion experience in the Oura App for members who are on a
GLP-1. It brings together self-recorded patient experience data with what Oura Ring measures automatically. Key benefits of GLP-1 Insights include:
- Dose tracking and reminders: Oura Members log their medication, dose, and schedule, whether it’s a weekly injection or a daily pill. Check-in reminders help them stay on track through a complex titration.
- Side effect logging: Common side effects such as nausea, fatigue, appetite changes, and GI symptoms can be logged by members in the moment and shown alongside dose dates. With member-directed sharing, member care teams can see which doses led to which symptoms and when.
- Weight tracking: Members can log weight manually or import it from a smart scale, then view it over time next to their logged dosing history as well as their Oura sleep, activity, and readiness trends to visually see progress towards their goals.
- Contextual education and Advisor: Changes like a shifting resting heart rate, a dip in appetite, or a low-readiness day after an injection can feel alarming without context. Oura AI Advisor uses dose logs and symptom history to help members understand what they’re seeing and prepare for visits. For example, “How often have I logged nausea since I started?” Advisor offers educational, non-prescriptive guidance.
The result is a continuous record of what’s happening between appointments – when most medication discontinuation decisions are made by patients.
How patient GLP-1 support can help health plans and clinicians
For health plans, GLP-1s present a familiar tension: strong clinical evidence and growing demand alongside high drug costs. The return on that investment depends on members staying on therapy long enough to benefit, yet the factors that shape that decision rarely show up in claims data. A missed refill tells a plan that a member stopped their medication, but not why. By investing in a companion wellness experience, like what Oura offers, payers can help members better understand their own experience on therapy and offer support in the months when it matters most.
For clinicians, the challenge is often understanding what has happened with their patients between visits. Appointments are short, and often a patient’s memory of how they felt three weeks ago is imperfect. A patient may say they “felt rough for a few days,” after an injection. However, specifics on those side effects, their duration, and when they occurred can help clinicians decide whether to adjust a dose, slow titration, or simply offer reassurance that what they are experiencing is within the realm of normal. A patient who arrives with a clear timeline and data gives their care team a stronger starting point for counseling so the conversation can begin with information rather than recollection.
Staying on course
GLP-1 therapy only delivers its benefits when people continue the medication through the clinician-guided course, yet continuity is rarely just a clinical question. It is shaped by side effects, uncertainty, and the long stretches of life between appointments. GLP-1 Insights is
designed to help members make sense of those stretches, supporting better conversations with their care teams along the way.
Note:
GLP-1 Insights is available to Oura Members with Oura Ring Gen3 or newer in select markets. Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent medical conditions or illnesses. Please do not make any changes to your medication without first consulting your doctor or another medical professional.
