The majority of patients using weight management drugs like Wegovy are able to maintain their weight loss after stopping the drug, a new study has found.
Published by Epic Research, study Up to two-thirds of people who lost at least 5% of their body weight while using semaglutide, the base drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, maintained all or most of the weight they lost one year after stopping the drug. It turned out that it was possible. . More than half continued to lose weight while off the drug, and 19% actually lost twice as much weight after stopping the drug as they had lost while on the drug.
This finding is in contrast to what was observed in previous studies.For example, research published A 2022 study, partially funded by Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegoby and Ozempic, found that about two-thirds of the weight lost was regained when the drug was stopped. The drug company said the longer you go without taking the drug, the more likely you are to regain the weight you lost.
GLP-1 drugs are usually indicated for long-term use, but as many as two-thirds require long-term use. user Please stop taking it after 1 year. There are various reasons for this, but it may be due, at least in part, to limited availability and high price. Ozempic and Wegovy can cost up to $1,000 a month out-of-pocket without insurance coverage, putting them out of reach for many people.
Additionally, demand for the drug has skyrocketed in recent years, and manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the increased demand.
This has led to questions among users and providers alike about the availability of the drug, and people who take it regularly suddenly stop taking it, stopping progress or gaining weight back. There are growing concerns that this may be the case.
However, less than 20% of the more than 20,000 people who took part in this latest study regained all of the weight they lost. This is a reassuring finding for people worried about not being able to get their medicine.
