With the popularity of GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide, the number of weight loss surgeries has decreased by 25%

With the popularity of GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide, the number of weight loss surgeries has decreased by 25%

The prescription volume of GLP-1 type diabetes and weight loss drugs has soared

A new report found that with the increasing popularity of GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound, fewer and fewer Americans choose to reduce their waistlines through weight loss surgery. A new statistical data found that the prescriptions of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss drugs more than doubled between 2022 and 2023.

he team led by Dr. Thomas Tsai, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston, reported that "compared to the same period, there was a 25.6% decrease in patients undergoing metabolic weight loss surgery. Since the US Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy (the first GLP-1 drug designed for weight loss) in mid-2021, sales of the drug, as well as related GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, have skyrocketed.

Rapid weight loss has always been a hallmark of these drugs, partly to make people feel full earlier. Before the advent of GLP-1, diet and exercise or bariatric surgery were the main ways for obese Americans to lose weight. However, Tsai's team suggests that the 'Ozempic era' may have changed everything. According to rumors, the healthcare system has closed the metabolic weight loss surgery program in hospitals due to reduced demand, "they pointed out in the research introduction.

To get a more accurate figure, the researchers tracked the medical records of more than 17 million Americans who were insured through private insurance or Medicare Advantage. All patients are non diabetes patients, but obese. They tracked the trend of GLP-1 drug prescriptions for weight loss in the last six months of 2022 and 2023.

The proportion of weight loss surgeries has decreased by 25.6%

They also tracked the trends of weight loss surgeries during the same period. The research team found that although the prescription volume of GLP-1 drugs more than doubled between 2022 and 2023 (an increase of 132.6%), the proportion of weight loss surgeries decreased by 25.6%.

Will these trends continue? Tsai and colleagues pointed out that although drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound can effectively help people lose weight, the "high cost and high gastrointestinal adverse reaction rate of these drugs may lead to treatment cessation and subsequent weight rebound

The research team added that the demand for weight loss drugs has also exceeded the supply, so if the "sustained national shortage" of GLP-1 continues, the number of weight loss surgery patients may rise again. At the same time, "policy makers and clinical doctors should continue to closely monitor the trade-off between drug therapy and surgical treatment for obesity to ensure the best path to effective obesity treatment," Tsai's team said.