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The brand new class of anti-obesity medicine, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), is proving remarkably efficient at serving to people drop pounds. Nevertheless, a brand new population-wide examine introduced on the Annual Assembly of the European Affiliation for the Examine of Diabetes (EASD), Vienna (15–19 Sept) finds that half of adults with out diabetes who begin taking the weight-loss drug semaglutide in Denmark discontinue therapy inside a yr.
“This level of drop off is concerning because these medications aren’t meant to be a temporary quick fix,” defined lead creator Professor Reimar W. Thomsen from the Division of Medical Epidemiology, Aarhus College and Aarhus College Hospital, Aarhus, 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.”
Initially developed for diabetes, GLP-1RAs have proven promise in selling weight reduction by decreasing urge for food and growing satiety alerts from the intestine to the mind. Nevertheless, GLP-1RAs are costly and may doubtlessly widen well being disparities as weight problems disproportionately impacts marginalized racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic communities.
Furthermore, weight regain is widespread as soon as the treatment is discontinued, indicating that folks may have to stay on these medicine to maintain off the kilos. Nevertheless, there are rising issues that many individuals could cease anti-obesity drugs not lengthy after beginning them, however population-based knowledge stay scarce.
To offer extra proof, researchers used knowledge from nationwide well being registries to look at the chance of, and causes for, discontinuation of semaglutide use for weight reduction in all adults (aged 18 or older) with out diabetes who initiated therapy between the drug’s launch date in Denmark (December 1st, 2022) and October 1st, 2023.
Out of 77,310 first-time customers of semaglutide for weight reduction have been recognized, over half (40,262; median age 50 years, 72% girls) have been now not taking it after one yr—with 18%, 31% and 42% stopping therapy inside three, six and 9 months, respectively. So why accomplish that many individuals discontinue the drug?
Excessive prices
The evaluation discovered that the most typical issue influencing the chance of discontinuation was age, with youthful customers aged 18–29 years 48% extra prone to cease therapy inside the first yr than these aged 45–59 years, after controlling for intercourse variations. Equally, customers residing in low-income areas have been 14% extra prone to discontinue therapy inside the first yr than these residing in high-income areas.
Each of those elements spotlight the possible affect of excessive prices of those drugs (2,000 Euros per yr for the bottom dose of semaglutide as of June 2025), which is a vital barrier to therapy for many individuals.
Greater predisposition to opposed results
Moreover, individuals who had beforehand used gastrointestinal drugs—which can point out they’re extra susceptible to the widespread opposed gastrointestinal unwanted side effects reported by GLP1-RA customers, corresponding to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea—have been 9% extra prone to discontinue semaglutide inside the first yr.
Equally, individuals with a historical past of psychiatric drugs have been 12% extra prone to discontinue therapy inside the first yr, whereas these residing with heart problems or different continual situations have been round 10% extra prone to cease therapy early—additionally suggesting the next chance of experiencing opposed results.
“This is particularly concerning given that people with obesity-related comorbidities may reap the greatest benefit from treatment,” mentioned Professor Thomsen.
The examine additionally discovered that males have been 12% extra prone to cease therapy inside a yr than girls, which could mirror unsatisfactory weight reduction given the higher weight reduction outcomes typically noticed in girls taking GLP-1RAs than males.
“These results are new and shed light on the reasons for high rates of early discontinuation of semaglutide for weight loss in a real-world setting,” mentioned Professor Thomsen.
“With over half of adults in Europe living with overweight or obesity, understanding who may benefit most from interventions that encourage adherence is essential to improving treatment use and subsequent health outcomes and quality of life.”
Regardless of the essential findings, the authors acknowledge a number of limitations of the examine, together with that anthropometric measures corresponding to the precise BMI are usually not typically accessible in Danish well being registries, they usually couldn’t assess individual-level earnings, insurance coverage protection, or out-of-pocket pay, which may partially have an effect on the conclusions.
In addition they notice that milder unwanted side effects corresponding to gastrointestinal complaints and different potential causes for discontinuation can’t be captured totally in registries and have been possible underestimated. Lastly, the researchers didn’t have info on the quantity of weight reduction achieved after semaglutide initiation.
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European Affiliation for the Examine of Diabetes
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Half of individuals cease taking standard weight-loss drug inside a yr, examine finds (2025, September 13)
retrieved 13 September 2025
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