Novo Nordisk Sparks U.S. Weight-Loss Drug Boom with Over 9 Million Prescriptions in Three Months

　　Cailian Press

According to a report released on Wednesday, U.S. healthcare providers issued more than 9 million prescriptions for Wegovy, Ozempic, and similar weight-loss drugs in the last three months of 2022.

This report comes from the analytics firm Trilliant Health and shows that, compared to 2020, the number of quarterly prescriptions for these weight-loss drugs has increased by 300%.

By the end of 2022, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy accounted for more than 65% of total prescriptions. Semaglutide is the main active ingredient in Wegovy. It is a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist that stimulates insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon secretion to delay gastric emptying and reduce appetite, ultimately achieving the effects of lowering blood sugar and weight loss.

These data further confirm the strong market demand for such weight-loss drugs. Besides aiding in weight loss, Wegovy also offers other health benefits to the body. This has led to Wegovy being in high demand across the U.S. since its launch in June 2021, as the obesity rate in America has reached 40%, with over 100 million Americans considered obese. However, even as Novo Nordisk works to increase production capacity, it still struggles to meet the overwhelming demand.

Therefore, the future growth rate of weight-loss drug prescriptions will largely depend on the supply from pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, whose Mounjaro also belongs to the GLP-1 drug class.

In the foreseeable future, weight-loss drugs like Wegovy will continue to be hard to obtain as demand exceeds pharmaceutical manufacturers' ability to produce enough medication.

Doug Langa, Executive Vice President of Novo Nordisk's North American operations, previously stated, "We continue to see tremendous demand for Wegovy." While supply capacity is gradually expanding, the availability of lower-dose Wegovy will remain limited to ensure continuity of supply for existing users.

Trilliant Health's analysis report is based on insurance claims data from approximately 300 million Americans. However, the total number of GLP-1 prescriptions may still be underestimated, as some insurance plans do not cover weight-loss drugs like Wegovy, instead requiring patients to pay out of pocket.

It is reported that the list price of Ozempic is up to $935 per month, while its similar weight-loss product Wegovy costs about $1,300 per month. However, it is worth noting that these drugs need to be taken indefinitely to maintain weight, just like cholesterol-lowering or blood pressure-lowering medications, which may require lifelong use.

Other pharmaceutical manufacturers are also racing to develop the emerging weight-loss drug industry. Analysts say that after Eli Lilly's Mounjaro is approved in the United States, it has the potential to surpass Novo Nordisk's drugs.

German investment bank Berenberg believes that products from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly will drive rapid growth in the global weight-loss drug market this decade. Berenberg forecasts that by 2030, the market could be worth as much as $85 billion.

Editor: Zhou Wei