Almost Half of US Adults Interested in Weight Loss Drugs: Poll

Almost half of American adults would be willing to use a drug like Wegovy, Mounjaro or Ozempic, a new poll finds.

In a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 45% of respondents expressed interest in the medications. This is alongside 59% respondents currently attempting to lose weight expressed interest, along with 51% of respondents trying to lose less than 10 pounds. The poll found that around seven in ten adults say they have heard at least “a little” about these drugs.

The class of drugs is GLP-1 agonists, which stimulate insulin production in the body in response to heightened blood sugar levels. It’s unclear exactly how they help with weight loss, though they do seem to help lessen hunger. Mounjaro is also a GIP agonist, which further stimulates the production of insulin.

This class of drugs was originally developed to treat type-2 diabetes, though doctors can prescribe them off-label to treat obesity. Wegovy is approved by the FDA for weight loss; Mounjaro and Ozempic are not. The FDA approved Wegovy for weight loss partly based on a study that saw nondiabetic participants lose 12.4% of their body weight over 68 weeks.

It is unclear when or if the FDA will approve Mounjaro for weight loss, though a trial has shown that the drug helped patients lose 15.7% of their body weight after 72 weeks of treatment, which may contribute to getting the FDA to approve it for weight loss.  

The CDC estimates that the prevalence of obesity in American adults is more than 40%, and more than 73% of adults are estimated to be overweight. which contributes to demand for the drugs. 

However, the potentially steep price of the drugs turns many off from them. Just 16% said they would still take injections – which could cost over $1,000 out-of-pocket without coverage – if their insurance declined to pick them up. Indeed, many insurance plans don’t cover drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss.

The lack of long-term relief these drugs provide is a barrier too. Just 14% would still be interested if there was a possibility the weight would come back after they stopped using the drugs. Studies have shown that this can indeed happen, and sometimes people gain back more than they lost. 

80% of respondents said that insurance should cover the drugs for people who are overweight or obese, and 53% of respondents said they should be covered for anyone who wants to use them to lose weight.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the manufacturers of Ozempic and Mounjaro, were slapped with a lawsuit on August 2nd from patients claiming that the drug caused stomach paralysis.