"Weight loss miracle drug" discounting growth potential? Study finds: 75% of patients stop taking the medication within two years

Research has found that only a minority of patients who can adhere to long-term use of GLP-1 class weight-loss drugs, the huge imaginative space for the growth potential of the "miracle weight-loss drug" may have to be discounted.

On July 10th, according to Reuters citing data analysis from American pharmacies, only one-quarter of American patients who received Novo Nordisk's Wegovy or Ozempic weight-loss drug treatment continued to take the medication two years later, and the analysis also showed that over time, patients' medication usage steadily decreased.

Prime Therapeutics and Magellan Rx Management reviewed pharmacy and medical claims data for 3,364 GLP-1 drug patients covered by commercial health plans. These patients all received new prescriptions between January and December 2021 and were diagnosed as obese or with a body mass index over 30.

The analysis found that 32% of patients were still taking GLP-1 drugs after 12 months of use, but this proportion decreased to 15% after two years.

For Wegovy, 24.1% of patients continued medication for over two years without more than a 60-day interruption, lower than the 36% who continued medication for one year. For Ozempic, 22.2% of patients continued medication for over two years, lower than the 47.1% who continued for one year. The situation for older versions of GLP-1 drugs was even worse, with only 7.4% of patients still taking the medication after two years.

The analysis did not specify the exact reasons for patients discontinuing medication but provided actual medication experience over a longer period than previous studies of less than a year. This result affects the debate on the costs to patients, employers, and government health plans.

Wegovy and Ozempic belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class of drugs, with monthly costs potentially exceeding $1,000 and may require long-term use to achieve significant effects.

Novo Nordisk pointed out limitations of the analysis in a statement, stating that Wegovy was only launched in June 2021 during the study period and was initially not covered by insurance; Ozempic was not approved for weight loss, which may affect insurance coverage and continued use by patients. The company stated that these data are not sufficient to draw conclusions about overall adherence and continued use of various GLP-1 drugs by patients.

Regarding reasons for patients discontinuing medication, Dr. Patrick Gleason, Assistant Vice President of Health Business at Prime, suggested possible reasons including side effects such as nausea and vomiting, out-of-pocket costs due to lack of insurance coverage, and supply shortages. Some patients may decide to stop medication after successful weight loss, and other studies indicate that most patients who discontinue medication usually regain most of the weight after stopping