
More Americans taking popular medications used for weight loss, including Ozempic and Wegovy, could benefit the national economy in the future, Goldman Sachs analysts predicted in a recent research report.
Both Ozempic and Wegovy are classified as GLP-1 agonists, a diabetes medication that gained popularity online and among celebrities as an anti-obesity drug. According to a 2023 analysis reported by NBC News, U.S. health care providers wrote more than nine million prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy and similar diabetes and obesity drugs during the last three months of 2022. Quarterly prescriptions for those drugs increased 300% between early 2020 and the end of 2022. Ozempic is not approved for weight loss by regulators. However, semaglutide is approved for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy.