Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, which Biden called expensive, are being dropped by users

Data shows most who take anti-diabetes drugs such as Ozempic for weight loss quit within 2 years, as their cost-effectiveness is questioned

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Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus weight-loss drugs. A recent US study found most patients taking GLP-1 medications like these quit within 2 years. This is believed to be down to a mixture of their high cost and side-effects. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15pm, 12 Jul 2024Updated: 10:03am, 22 Oct 2024

Only one in four patients in the United States prescribed Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss were still taking the popular medications two years later, according to an analysis of US pharmacy claims that also showed a steady decline in use over time.

The analysis does not include details about why patients quit. But it does offer a longer view of the real-world experiences of patients taking the drugs, developed by Novo Nordisk, than previous research that studied use over a year or less.

Evidence that many people may stop using the weight-loss therapies not long after starting is influencing a debate over their cost to patients, employers and government health plans.

Wegovy and similar medicines, which belong to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, can cost more than US$1,000 per month, and may require extended use to yield significant benefits.

Only one in four US patients prescribed Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss were still taking the popular medications two years later, according to an analysis of US pharmacy claims. Photo: Shutterstock

Their prices in the US have recently drawn fire from President Joe Biden and other public officials, who say such drugs could cost the country US$411 billion per year if half of adults with obesity used them.

That is US$5 billion more than Americans spent on all prescription drugs in 2022.