Federal Watchdog Adds Medicare Part D GLP-1 Overdispensing to Its Active Study List

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General added an evaluation of potential GLP-1 overdispensing in Medicare Part D to its official work plan on September 15. The project, assigned number OEI-BL-26-00370, will assess whether prescribing patterns for GLP-1 medications in Part D plans raise concerns about appropriate dispensing. The announcement comes as Medicare's GLP-1 bridge demonstration, which launched July 1, 2026, is underway. GLP-1 drugs are used to treat obesity and related metabolic conditions and have become a fast-growing category of Part D spending. Demand for these medications has risen sharply in recent years. A separate OIG work plan project, already underway, examines FDA oversight of compounded GLP-1 drugs. The new Part D project is distinct, focusing on whether dispensing volumes and patterns in standard Part D plans are appropriate. An OIG work plan addition signals the agency intends to study an issue, not that it has found wrongdoing. Completed findings typically arrive in a formal published report months to years after the project is announced. Consumers enrolled in Part D or the GLP-1 bridge program are not required to take any action in response to this announcement.