Americans Want Prescription Weight-loss Drugs
In a new poll released on Friday, 45 percent of adults expressed some degree of interest in taking a prescription medication for weight loss if it was shown to be “safe and effective.” Among the 1,022 adults who took part in the KFF survey, 18 percent said they were “very interested” in taking a weight loss drug, and 27 percent said they were “somewhat interested.”
The poll also found that 70 percent had heard of the new class of weight-loss drugs that include Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. While Wegovy has been approved for weight loss, Ozempic and Mounjaro are indicated for treating diabetes, and a prescription of those drugs for losing weight would be considered off-label use.
Interest in these drugs has partly been driven by pop culture, with many public figures alleged to have used them for rapid weight loss. Tesla CEO Elon Musk openly credited Wegovy for his change in weight last year. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 1 in 3 U.S. adults are overweight and more than 2 out of 5 have obesity.
Excerpted from The Hill
