A study conducted in the United States reveals that expanding access to weight loss medications could prevent more than 40,000 annual obesity-related deaths in the country.
- New drugs against obesity, such as Wegovy or Ozempic, have proven their effectiveness in clinical trials and are increasingly used for weight loss.
- According to a new study, increased distribution of these treatments could prevent up to 42,027 deaths per year, including nearly 12,000 among people with type 2 diabetes.
- “Expanding access to these medications is not just an improvement in treatment options, but a real public health intervention,” according to the researchers.
What if facilitating access to new anti-obesity drugs, like Wegovy or Ozempic, could save tens of thousands of lives each year? This is according to a recent study by researchers at Yale University and the University of Florida. According to their estimates, the increased distribution of these treatments could prevent more than 40,000 annual deaths in the United States. An impressive figure, which highlights the urgency of removing the obstacles hindering access to these treatments.
The recognized effectiveness of new drugs against obesity
Obesity, which affects approximately 43% of the American population, is an aggravating factor for serious illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even certain cancers. Although advances in effective treatments have been a long time coming, the recent introduction of drugs such as GLP-1 receptor agonists (Ozempic, Wegovy) and GIP/GLP-1 (tirzepatide) has marked a turning point. These treatments have in fact proven their effectiveness in clinical trials and are increasingly used for weight loss.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencelooked at the potential impact of these drugs in terms of mortality. The researchers cross-referenced data on mortality risk linked to body mass index (BMI) and obesity rates, while taking into account current barriers to accessing treatments, such as their high cost – which in the United States sometimes exceeds 1,000 dollars per month – and insurance restrictions. The results are clear: expanding access to these medications to all eligible individuals could prevent up to 42,027 deaths per year, including nearly 12,000 among people with type 2 diabetes.
Reduce obesity-related mortality
“Expanding access to these medications is not just an improvement in treatment options, but a real public health intervention”underlines the epidemiologist Alison P. Galvani, who participated in the work, in a press release. For her, removing financial barriers and ensuring broader coverage of medications could significantly reduce obesity-related mortality.
This could also be true in France. Since October 8, the Wegovy treatment has been authorized to be marketed in the country, but it can only be prescribed under very specific conditions and, above all, it is not yet reimbursed by Health Insurance.
