A Majority of Ozempic, Wegovy, Patients Stop Using the Medication After Only a Year, Likely Regaining Lost Weight

People who use weight loss drugs such as Wegovy will usually drop them after a year, with experts warning many pay upwards of $1,000 per month for little long term health benefits.

An analysis of pharmacy claims by Prime Therapeutics, a pharmacy benefit manager partially owned by the health care provider Blue Cross Blue Shield, found that only 32% of patients using Wegovy, Ozempic, or a similar competitor were still using the medication a year after prescription.

While these drugs are effective while being used, doctors warn that stopping use of the drugs will lead to lost weight being regained.

A British study published last year, partially funded by Wegovy and Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk, found that users of these drugs regain around two-thirds of lost weight after stopping the injections.

“As I stress with all my patients, medications like Wegovy and Ozempic are designed for chronic, continuous, potentially life-long use. They are not short-term solutions,” Dr. Christopher McGowan, a North Carolina-based obesity medicine specialist, told The Messenger.

The Prime Therapeutic study did not determine why so many patients stop using the drugs. However, in clinical trials around 7% of patients could not continue use of semaglutide – the generic version of Novo’s pair of drugs – because of intense gastrointestinal issues. These issues most often include nausea and vomiting.

The costs of these drugs may also lead to attrition. Some patients have struggled to get these medications covered by insurance providers. Accessing the drugs without coverage could cost around $1,200 per month out-of-pocket.

“Patients have difficulty adhering to the medications over time, whether due to side effects, cost, availability, or simply a desire to avoid a long-term injection. These factors too often lead to premature discontinuation of the medication,” Dr. McGowan added.

Prime’s research found that patients that use these drugs saw their annual cost for healthcare jump 59% if they started to use the medications – up from an average of $12,371 to $19,657.

"This analysis points to the fact that there can be a lot of spending on people that are not likely to reap any long-term health benefits," Dr. Khrysta Baig, a health policy expert from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, told Reuters.

Nearly half of the 4,255 participants in the study used Ozempic or Wegovy. Others used Saxenda – an older weight loss drug manufactured by Novo – or Rybelsus, an oral version of semaglutide.

Each of these patients was prescribed medication in 2021. Type 2 diabetes patients that used the drugs were not included in the research.

Popular weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and tirzepatide, sold by Ely Lilly under the brand name Mounjaro, are all glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists. These drugs work by stimulating hormones in the brain that tell the body it is full. In turn, the drugs reduce cravings for food and help users lose weight.

These drugs have been great commercial successes in recent years. So much so, that they were in shortage for much of 2021 due to a combination of surging demand and supply issues faced by manufacturers.