A Danish study has found that people treated with GLP-1 medicines, including drugs used for diabetes and weight management, took less long-term sick leave. The finding suggests that the medicines’ health benefits may also improve workers’ ability to remain in employment, with possible implications for employers and public finances.

Using linked administrative data, researchers estimated that GLP-1 treatment reduced long-term sickness absence by 17.3 per cent. Before treatment, 5.5 per cent of the workers studied took sick leave lasting more than 30 days; the research was published as a working paper, so its findings should be interpreted as preliminary.