Half of people who start taking the GLP-1 weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy drop it within a year, Danish researchers reported at a conference in Vienna.

Half of people who start taking the GLP-1 weight-loss drug Ozempic drop it within a year, a new study says.

About 52% of people in Denmark prescribed semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) for weight loss stopped taking it after one year, researchers reported Saturday at a meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna.

The drugs' high cost appears to be the reason why people give them only a brief try, researchers said.

"This level of drop off is concerning because these medications aren't meant to be a temporary quick fix," lead author Dr. Reimar Thomsen, a professor of metabolic disease epidemiology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, said in a news release.

"For them to work effectively, they need to be taken long term," he said. "All of the beneficial effects on appetite control are lost if the medication is stopped."

The results mirror a 2024 U.S. study, which found that 50% of people prescribed GLP-1 drugs for obesity quit taking them after a year. That study appeared in JAMA Network Open.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases appetite and slows digestion of food.

For the new study, researchers tracked more than 77,000 Danish patients prescribed semaglutide for weight loss between December 2022 and October 2023.

As time passed, more patients stopped taking the drug: 18% at three months; 31% at six months; 42% at nine months; and 52% at one year, results show.

Younger people 18 to 29 were 48% more likely to quit using semaglutide, and people living in low-income areas were 14% more likely to drop the drug, researchers found.

Both factors indicate that high cost is likely the reason why people stop taking semaglutide, researchers said.

In Denmark, semaglutide costs about $2,350 a year for the lowest dose available, researchers said. The U.S. cost for semaglutide can be around $1,400 a month for weight loss treatment if it's not covered by insurance, according to Drugs.com.

Side effects from semaglutide might be another contributing factor, researchers added.

People with existing GI problems were 9% more likely to drop the drug; folks with heart disease or chronic illnesses were 10% more likely; and those taking psychiatric medications were 12% more likely, results showed.

"This is particularly concerning given that people with obesity-related comorbidities may reap the greatest benefit from treatment," Thomsen said.

Men were 12% more likely to stop taking semaglutide, possibly because women tend to have better weight loss than men using GLP-1 drugs, researchers said.

"These results are new and shed light on the reasons for high rates of early discontinuation of semaglutide for weight loss in a real-world setting," Thomsen said.

"With over half of adults in Europe living with overweight or obesity, understanding who may benefit most from interventions that encourage adherence is essential to improving treatment use and subsequent health outcomes and quality of life," Thomsen added.

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

Northwestern University has more on people quitting GLP-1 drugs.

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