Anti-obesity drug prescribing shows signs of leveling off
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The anti-obesity drug boom may be cooling, as overall prescribing of GLP-1 medicines remained relatively flat for the three months ending in September, according to a new analysis of electronic health records.
Why it matters: Even with more approved uses for the drugs, the high cost, variable insurance coverage policies and the fact that many patients can't stay on them are tempering some expectations.
What they found: Health data company Truveta Research found overall prescribing rates in September were about the same as in June (+4.6%).
- Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound, continues to be the most prescribed anti-diabetic and anti-obesity medication.
- Less than half of the patients (46.8%) prescribed anti-obesity medicines for the first time in March actually filled the prescriptions within 60 days — a sign of possible access issues related to cost or insurance.
- First-time prescribing rates for GLP-1s in September were slightly down compared to June (-12.5%).
Between the lines: Blockbuster treatments like Ozempic have been found to lower the risk of everything from Alzheimer's and addiction to sleep apnea, seizures and bacterial infections. More potential uses keep surfacing.
- While it may be tempting to think of them as cure-alls, a lot still is unknown. It's not clear whether the benefits come from the fact that obesity and diabetes give rise to so many other health problems.
Truveta has launched a monitoring report based on data for more than 120 million patients across the U.S. and also linked to closed insurance claims for more than 200 million patients.
- The firm said 2.45 million patients were prescribed a GLP-1 between January 2018 and September 2025, with 12.2 million total prescriptions during that period.
- Over the entire study period, semaglutide — the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic — was the most common first-time medication.
