Young Adults’ Use of Popular Weight Loss Drugs Wegovy and Ozempic Skyrockets by 594%

Recent data reveals a sharp rise in the use of weight loss drugs among U.S. youth, with significant gender disparities and concerns over off-label use and long-term effects.
Public interest in weight loss medications such as Wegovy and Ozempic is rapidly increasing, yet there is a surprising lack of national data on their dispensing patterns in the United States.

Now, a national study from Michigan Medicine reveals that the use of these weight loss drugs is increasing rapidly in adolescents and young adults 12-25 years, especially females. Using 2020 – 2023 data from a national database representing 92% of pharmacies, the study team found a 594% increase in the monthly number of adolescents and young adults using Wegovy, Ozempic, and other glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).