BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant to study the long-term health and economic impact of GLP-1 medicines, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, using Truveta Data linked with millions of de-identified health insurance closed claims from across the US.
Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the grant will support a five-year study designed to generate evidence on the long-term value of GLP-1 therapies, including their impact on health outcomes, healthcare costs, and patient access to treatment.
The R01 is NIH’s flagship research grant mechanism and is awarded through a rigorous peer-review process. The grant builds upon work through the Truveta User Community at the Hopkins Business of Health Initiative (HBHI), established under the leadership of Daniel Polsky, PhD, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor with joint appointments at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
Since its launch in 2025, the user community has supported research across a wide range of healthcare challenges, including maternal health, infectious disease, health equity, and chronic disease. This NIH-funded study is an example of how large-scale health data can help generate evidence to inform patient care and healthcare policy.
GLP-1 medicines have emerged as an important treatment option for people seeking support with weight management and related health conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Emerging research has also suggested potential benefits for additional conditions, including treatment for patients with alcohol use disorder.
Despite their promise, the high cost of GLP-1 therapies can limit access for many patients. As demand grows, healthcare leaders are increasingly interested in value, affordability, and accessibility.
The study is led by principal investigator Joseph Levy, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with researchers at Duke University.
For the research team, access is one of the central policy challenges surrounding GLP-1s. The question for many patients is no longerwhether the medicines work, but whether they can access them. By examining how the drugs affect healthcare spending over time, the study aims to provide insurers and policymakers with stronger evidence for coverage decisions and to help narrow the gap between the drugs’ clinical promise and real-world access.
The study will use real-time data representing more than 140 million patients to evaluate the long-term value of GLP-1 therapies, including which patients stand to benefit most, how treatment affects healthcare spending, and what evidence is needed to support broader access to care.
The findings could help inform future coverage and reimbursement decisions across Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health plans, ultimately helping healthcare leaders better understand how to expand access to care for the patients who stand to benefit most from these emerging therapies.
About Truveta
Truveta transforms healthcare into intelligence. Built with and owned by US health systems united by a mission of Saving Lives with Data, Truveta powers breakthrough discoveries, regulatory-grade evidence, and AI that improves patient care.
Truveta membership includes: Providence, Advocate Health, Trinity Health, Tenet Healthcare, Northwell Health, AdventHealth, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Baylor Scott & White Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, CommonSpirit Health, Hawaii Pacific Health, HealthPartners, Henry Ford Health System, HonorHealth, Inova, Lehigh Valley Health Network, MedStar Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, MetroHealth, Novant Health, Ochsner Health, Premier Health, Saint Luke’s Health System, Sanford Health, Sentara Healthcare, Texas Health Resources, TriHealth, UnityPoint Health, Virtua Health, and WellSpan Health.
Alexis Hauk Truveta news@truveta.com
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