GLP-1 drug use for weight loss has soared, costing billions

Medical Xpress April 1, 2025
Dennis Thompson

The number of Americans taking cutting-edge weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound has skyrocketed in recent years, a new study says.

The number of people without diabetes taking a GLP-1 drug more than tripled between 2018 and 2022 in the U.S., researchers reported March 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Spending on these drugs reached $5.8 billion in 2022, with average prices consistently exceeding $1,500 per prescription, results show.

“Despite this, adoption remained limited, as only 1 in 250 U.S. adults without diabetes used a GLP-1 (drug) in 2022,” wrote the research team led by Michelle Dowsey, an epidemiologist with the University of Melbourne in Australia.