Weight Loss Drugs Surge to 7% of All U.S. Prescriptions, Study Reveals

Topline Prescriptions for GLP-1 RA medications such as Mounjaro and Zepbound made up more than 7% of prescriptions in the U.S. as of last month, according to a study from Truveta Research, which investigated rocketing use of weight loss drugs and prescribing trends from 2019 to 2025. Key Facts Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. Big Number $126 billion. That is how much money GLP-1s could generate in sales by 2029, according to a UBS analysis, which forecasts 40 million people on GLP-1s globally by the same year. Key Background GLP-1 drugs, which were first designated for diabetes treatment, have become wildly popular in the last few years due to their effectiveness and FDA approval as a weight loss drug. Patient, government programs and insurance companies cranked up their spending on GLP-1s from 2018 to 2023 by more than 500%, from $13.7 billion to $71.7 billion, according to a study from the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adoption of GLP-1s does not seem like it will slow down anytime soon, as the first pill version of a GLP-1 in Novo Nordisk’s weight loss treatment Wegovy was approved by the FDA last month. The once-daily pill can help patients lose as much weight as they would using the injectable version of Wegovy. Eli Lilly, a competitor of Novo Nordisk’s, anticipates its oral GLP-1 pill will receive FDA approval by the second quarter of 2026. Further Reading