PD661 - GLP-1 RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT: EVALUATING COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND THE IMPACT OF AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

PD661

GLP-1 RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT: EVALUATING COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND THE IMPACT OF AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

Ö. Geridönmez^1,*, B. S. Erten², S. Dağdelen³, K. Demirkan¹

¹Clinical Pharmacy, ²Hacettepe University Faculty of Pharmacy, ³Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye

Rationale: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists usage for weight loss has increased rapidly in recent years. Despite their popularity, concerns remain regarding long-term safety, inappropriate use, and misinformation. This study aimed to evaluate community pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss.

Methods: A 34 question (4 demographics, 9 knowledge, 10 attitude and 11 practices) survey was generated by researchers after literature search. A face-to-face education was provided to community pharmacist by an endocrinologist and the survey was applied to evaluate the effectiveness of a continuing education program via pre- and post-education surveys on January 10^th, 2026. This study was approved by local ethics committee.

Results: A total of 21 participants (90.5% women; mean age of 45.67 years; and 52.4% with over 20 years of professional experience) completed the pre- and post-education questionnaire.  The same questionnaire was administered to pharmacists before and after the education, leading to an increase in the percentage of correct responses to the knowledge questions from 83.33% to 91.67% (p>0.05). The difference between pre- and post-education attitude scores was improved at post-education (min-max:3-5) in comparison to pre-education (min-max:1-4) (p<0.05). Three pharmacists (14.3%) reported personal use of these medications for weight loss, while 90.5% stated that their relative or patient uses them.

Conclusion: Although community pharmacists have some awareness of the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss, continuing education is crucial to support the development of appropriate attitudes and practices. Strengthening pharmacists’ knowledge in this area may be beneficial to improve patient counseling, to prevent misuse, and to promote safer weight management.  

Disclosure of Interest: None declared