Half of patients taking weight-loss drug quit within a year
More than half of all adults without diabetes who began taking semaglutide discontinued treatment within a year, according to new research on Danish patients. The population-wide study was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and looked at a population of more than 77,000 people.
The new class of anti-obesity drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, is proving remarkably effective at helping individuals lose weight. However, the findings raise questions about their widespread use.
‘This level of drop off is concerning because these medications aren’t meant to be a temporary quick fix,’ explained Professor Reimar W. Thomsen of Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. ‘For them to work effectively, they need to be taken long term. All of the beneficial effects on appetite control are lost if the medication is stopped.’
Originally developed for diabetes, GLP-1 agonists, such as semaglutide, have shown promise in promoting weight loss by reducing appetite and increasing satiety signals from the gut to the brain. However, they are currently expensive and can potentially widen health disparities as obesity disproportionally affects marginalised communities.
Researchers used data from nationwide health registries to examine the likelihood of, and reasons for, discontinuation of semaglutide use for weight loss in all adults (aged 18 or older) without diabetes who initiated treatment between the drug’s launch date in Denmark (December 1st, 2022) and October 1st, 2023.
Out of 77,310 first time users of semaglutide for weight loss, over half (40,262; median age 50 years, 72% women) were no longer taking it after one year—with 18%, 31% and 42% stopping treatment within 3, 6 and 9 months, respectively.
The analysis found that the most common factor influencing the likelihood of discontinuation was age, with younger users aged 18-29 years 48% more likely to stop treatment within the first year than those aged 45-59 years. Similarly, users living in low-income areas were 14% more likely to discontinue treatment within the first year than those living in high-income areas.
The authors say both of these factors highlight the likely impact of high costs of these medications. Additionally, people who had previously used gastrointestinal medications—which may indicate they are more vulnerable to the common adverse gastrointestinal side-effects reported by GLP1-RA users, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea—were 9% more likely to discontinue semaglutide within the first year.
Patients with a history of psychiatric medications were 12% more likely to discontinue treatment within the first year, while those living with cardiovascular disease or other chronic conditions were around 10% more likely to stop treatment early—also suggesting a higher likelihood of experiencing adverse effects. ‘This is particularly concerning given that people with obesity-related comorbidities may reap the greatest benefit from treatment,’ said Professor Thomsen.
