Weight loss drugs rarely prescribed

Powerful weight loss medications are not reaching those who need them most, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who presented their findings at the American Heart Association meeting March 19.

"Obesity has been a long-standing clinical and public health change, and it’s growing in scope," said Chiadi Ndumele, M.D., Ph.D., director of obesity and cardiometabolic research in the division of cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. 

The findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

"In recent years, we’ve developed increasingly powerful pharmacotherapies, particularly these GLP-1 receptor agonists, that have a fairly profound impact on obesity," he said, referring to the class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound. "That being said, we still recognize that the uptake of these agents is still fairly limited."

The barriers to access include challenges in obtaining prescriptions, finding pharmacies with the medications in stock and affordability issues. The study found that even among patients with insurance coverage for weight loss drugs, only a small percentage were prescribed them. Factors such as copay costs, prior authorization requirements and discomfort among health care providers in discussing obesity contribute to this low prescription rate.

Read more: NBC News

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