Most People Actually Aren’t That Into Ozempic, Survey Finds

Ozempic and akin drugs are having a taste infinitesimal close now, but it appears that plentifulness of radical aren’t connected board. National survey information released this week suggests that a bulk of Americans aren’t funny successful taking these drugs, adjacent if they are looking to suffer weight.

The improvement of Ozempic and different GLP-1 drugs has dramatically changed the scenery of obesity attraction successful caller years, offering doctors medications that are acold much effectual astatine helping radical suffer value than fare and workout alone. The precocious request from imaginable patients has led to shortages of these drugs, however, which has helped fueled a lucrative achromatic and grey marketplace for them. But these caller findings bespeak that Americans wide are inactive wary astir these drugs, astatine slightest connected a idiosyncratic level.

The polling steadfast Morning Consult conducted the survey, which was commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit enactment of doctors focused connected promoting preventive medicine. The radical has antecedently taken a beardown stance against fast nutrient chains and unhealthy paper options being allowed successful hospitals. The canvass progressive a nationally typical illustration of 2,205 adults who were asked if they agreed oregon disagreed with this statement: “If I wanted to suffer weight, I would alternatively instrumentality an injectable weight–loss drug, alternatively than make a fare change.” 

Overall, 23% agreed oregon powerfully agreed with the sentiment, compared to 62% who disagreed oregon powerfully disagreed, and 14% who said that they did not request to suffer weight. When lone including the radical who mightiness person wanted to suffer weight, 73% disagreed with taking these drugs implicit making a alteration successful diet. Conversely, a flimsy bulk (57%) of participants said they would see going connected a plant-based diet, astatine slightest briefly, if it would origin important value loss.

“The caller findings bash not mean that Americans bash not privation to suffer weight; rather, astir would similar to alteration their eating habits than inject a medication,” said Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Committee, successful a statement from the organization.

Other probe has shown that galore radical taking these drugs don’t instrumentality them for long. One survey of existent satellite use, for instance, found that lone astir 40% of radical stayed connected Ozempic for astatine slightest a year. Some of this reluctance to instrumentality oregon enactment connected these drugs whitethorn beryllium owed to the communal gastrointestinal side-effects that they thin to cause, specified arsenic diarrhea oregon vomiting. But determination are apt different factors progressive arsenic well. These drugs often aren’t covered by security companies and tin outgo upwards of $1,000 a period without coverage. Recent survey information elsewhere suggests that astir 12% of Americans person taken a GLP-1 drug, and astir fractional of these users (54%) reported having occupation affording them.

While these drugs mightiness not beryllium for everyone, their inactive wide usage could beryllium helping down thrust obesity. According to CDC information released past month, the complaint of big obesity (defined arsenic having a assemblage wide scale implicit 30) successful the U.S. has yet stopped rising arsenic of precocious for the archetypal clip successful astir a decade—a signifier interruption that astatine slightest immoderate experts person attributed to the accomplishment of newer GLP-1 drugs similar Ozempic.