Prescriptions for Obesity Management Drugs Increasing
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Feb. 6, 2025 -- Prescriptions of obesity management drugs (OMDs) have increased, and these increasing trends are associated with online search trends, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in JAMA Network Open.
Philipp Berning, M.D., from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues examined prescription patterns and online search trends for OMDs and correlated usage dynamics with public engagement in a repeated cross-sectional study. Trends in OMD prescriptions and online searches were analyzed visually, and quantitative correlations were calculated.
The researchers found that 69,213,936 prescriptions for OMDs were dispensed in the United States during the study period, with an increase of 0.76 to 0.80 million from July 2017 to June 2018 and an increase from 1.29 to 1.51 million from March 2023 to February 2024 (mean annual growth rate, 5.3 percent). In February 2024, total monthly OMD prescriptions reached 1.5 million, accounting for 0.41 percent of all prescriptions that month. The most prescribed OMDs were phentermine, semaglutide (Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda), and tirzepatide (Zepbound). By February 2024, phentermine, Wegovy, and Zepbound had about 0.74, 0.42, and 0.25 million monthly prescriptions, respectively. Online searches reflected prescription trends, with Wegovy, Zepbound, and phentermine at 636.3, 468.9, and 301.8 per 10 million (all February 2024). Wegovy and Zepbound had the strongest correlations between prescriptions and search volumes.
"These findings may provide insight for health care professionals and policy makers, as they highlight the rapid adoption by clinicians (including nonphysician professions) of state-of-the-art obesity treatments and their growing public interest," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted February 2025
Read this next
ADA: Weight Loss, Type 2 Diabetes Remission Up With Replacing Diet Drinks With Water
WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2025 -- For adult women with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), replacing diet beverages (DBs) with water is associated with greater weight loss...
Self-Esteem Scores Soar One Year After Metabolic, Bariatric Surgery
TUESDAY, June 24, 2025 -- Self-esteem scores increase after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), with greater improvement in scores for those with higher postoperative weight...
Minor Complications Up for Black Patients After Weight-Loss Surgery
MONDAY, June 23, 2025 -- Black patients have a higher incidence of minor complications after metabolic and bariatric surgery, according to a study presented at the annual meeting...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.