More than 10% of Americans say that they've used Ozempic or similar drugs at some point in their life, according to a recent survey, even as officials continue to raise concerns about both the price and the availability of the popular prescription medications.
Ozempic and its counterparts Wegovy and Mounjaro are part of a category of drugs called GLP-1 agonists that can be used to treat diabetes and prevent heart attacks. In the last year, however, the drugs have increasingly been prescribed off-label as weight loss medication.
Thirty-two percent of adults told the Kaiser Family Foundation that they've heard "a lot" about GLP-1 drugs, compared to just 19% last July.
With increasing awareness, there has also been an uptick in Americans who take the drugs, according to the same KFF poll. One in eight adults say they have taken a GLP-1 drug at some point in their lives, while six percent say they are currently taking the medications.
The majority of patients taking GLP-1 drugs say they received the prescription for diabetes or heart disease but about four in ten are taking the medication for weight loss. That percentage decreases to just 1% for adults over 65 - possibly because Medicare does not cover weight loss medication.
The increase in GLP-1 prescriptions comes as medical professionals sound the alarm about both a shortage in available drugs and the high cost of accessing the medication.
"It's been really, really terrible - patients don't know where to turn," endocrinologist Disha Narang told the New York Times. "We've been like hamsters in a wheel trying to figure this out."
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has been particularly critical of what he describes as the "outrageous" high price of the drugs - which can cost patients $1,000 a month, according to KFF.
"The scientists at Novo Nordisk deserve great credit for developing these drugs that have the potential to be a game changer for millions of Americans struggling with type 2 diabetes and obesity. As important as these drugs are, they will not do any good for the millions of patients who cannot afford them," Sanders wrote to the CEO of Ozempic's manufacturer.
"Further, if the prices for these products are not substantially reduced, they also have the potential to bankrupt Medicare, Medicaid, and our entire health care system."
