Key facts
- 11% of Americans are currently using GLP-1 medications for weight loss, up from 3% in 2024.
- 15% of Americans have used GLP-1s for weight loss at some point.
- A temporary program offers some Medicare patients GLP-1 coverage for $50 per month.
- A study revealed that GLP-1 drugs can be acquired online with little to no clinical oversight.
- Brand-name GLP-1s are used by 68% of current users, while 19% use compounded versions.
A record 11 percent of Americans are currently taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, a substantial increase from 3 percent in 2024, according to a new Gallup survey. Fifteen percent of respondents reported having used these medications for weight loss at some point, marking a nine-percentage-point rise.
Despite the surge in usage, questions persist regarding the accessibility and affordability of these drugs. While costs have reportedly decreased due to increased competition, out-of-pocket expenses for popular medications like Wegovy and Zepbound can still approach $500 monthly, and private insurance coverage remains inconsistent.
However, access has expanded for certain patient groups. The Trump administration initiated a temporary program offering coverage for GLP-1 drugs to some Medicare patients at a cost of $50 per month. This initiative makes these medications available to a new category of patients, as Medicare is generally prohibited from covering them for obesity. KFF estimates that nearly 4 million beneficiaries could become newly eligible for this program.
Furthermore, a secret-shopper study published in JAMA indicated that GLP-1 drugs can be obtained online with minimal clinical oversight. Of the 49 websites studied, only a minority required video or phone consultations, and prescriptions were denied in only four instances. The median time to obtain a prescription was one day or less, with some compounded GLP-1 prescriptions issued within five minutes. Notably, 20 percent of websites issued prescriptions based solely on upper-body photos, despite requests for full-body images or weight information.
Brand-name GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, constitute 68% of current usage, compared to 19% using compounded versions. Users of brand-name drugs reported slightly lower effectiveness than those using compounded versions, though both groups considered the drugs effective.