Half Of Users Quit Weight-Loss Drug In A Year: Study Warns Against Quick-Fix Solutions
The findings of the study point to concerns about fairness, as people from lower-income or marginalised groups may not be able to afford them due to their high price.
A new study has shown that half of adults without diabetes who take the popular weight-loss drug, semaglutide, discontinued it within a year.
Semaglutide is part of a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. These drugs were first developed to treat diabetes. However, it is currently being widely used for weight loss.
Professor Reimar W Thomsen, the study's lead author, outlined that this pattern of stopping the treatment early is a disturbing trend. “These medications aren't meant to be a quick fix. The benefits go away when treatment stops," said Thomsen, as per a Science Daily report.
According to the study, out of 77,310 first-time users of semaglutide for weight loss, over half (40,262) stopped it within a year. Treatment dropout rates were 18% at three months, 31% at six months and 42% at nine months.
The study also found that younger users (18–29) were 48% more likely to stop semaglutide within a year than those aged 45–59. People in low-income areas were also 14% more likely to discontinue than those in high-income neighbourhoods, the Science Daily report added. The findings were being presented at the 2024 annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna.
These drugs work by reducing appetite and making people feel full longer, which helps in weight loss. The findings of the study point to concerns about fairness, as people from lower-income or marginalised groups may not be able to afford them due to their high price.
The study was conducted in Denmark, where the researchers analysed nationwide health registry data to study why adults without diabetes stopped using semaglutide for weight loss.
According to the study, both age and income-related differences in discontinuation likely reflect the high cost of semaglutide, which is around 2,000 euros per year (as of June 2025). This poses a major barrier to long-term treatment for many individuals.
The study found that users with prior gastrointestinal medication use and those with psychiatric or chronic conditions were also more likely to discontinue the treatment. It was even discovered that men were 12% more likely to stop, possibly due to less effective weight loss compared to women, who typically respond better.
"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,” said Thomsen, who is associated with the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
