A new study examining a large sample of privately insured patients with obesity found that the use of drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy as anti-obesity medications more than doubled from 2022 to 2023. During that same period, there was a 25.6 percent decrease in patients undergoing metabolic bariatric surgery to treat obesity.
The study, conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Brown School of Public Health, highlights one of the first national estimates of the decline in the utilization of bariatric metabolic surgery among privately insured patients corresponding to the rising use of blockbuster GLP-1 RA drugs. In particular, GLP-1 receptor agonists (Ras) saw a staggering 132.6 percent increase, from 1.89 to 4.41 patients per 1,000 patients.
Meanwhile, there was a notable decline in bariatric metabolic surgery during the same timeframe, dropping from 0.22 to 0.16 patients per 1,000 patients. Alarmingly, 94.7 percent of patients with obesity received neither surgical nor pharmacological treatments during this period.
Although metabolic bariatric surgery is currently considered the most effective and durable treatment for obesity, there is growing concern that as reliance on pharmacological treatments increases, access to comprehensive care involving surgical options may become limited. While GLP-1 RAs can effectively treat obesity and associated conditions such as diabetes, challenges such as high costs, limited supply, and gastrointestinal side effects could hinder sustained use
As these drug treatments gain popularity, it is crucial for clinicians and policymakers to monitor the transitioning landscape of obesity treatment to ensure optimal patient outcomes across both pharmacological and surgical approaches. The researchers ultimately call for further investigations to understand the lengthy effects of this shift and to ensure wider access to effective obesity treatment.
Source: The Good Men Project
