A new report indicates that the increasing popularity of GLP-1 medications, such as Wegovy and Zepbound, is leading to a significant reduction in weight-loss surgeries among Americans. The report highlights that prescriptions for this class of diabetes and weight-loss medications more than doubled from 2022 to 2023. Led by Dr.
Thomas Tsai, an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston, the study found a notable 25.6 per cent decline in patients opting for metabolic bariatric surgery during the same period. This trend coincides with the U.
S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Wegovy in mid-2021, the first GLP-1 medication specifically designed for weight loss. Following this approval, sales of Wegovy and similar drugs, including Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, have surged dramatically.
These GLP-1 medications have been recognized for their effectiveness in promoting rapid weight loss by inducing a sense of fullness, leading patients to consume fewer calories. Prior to the introduction of these medications, Americans seeking to lose weight primarily relied on diet and exercise or surgical options. However, the advent of the "Ozempic era" appears to be reshaping the landscape of weight-loss treatments, according to Tsai's team.
They observed that some health systems have even closed hospital-based metabolic bariatric surgery programs due to decreased demand for such procedures. To analyze these trends more quantitatively, the researchers examin.
