Much has been written about the use of Ozempic – a diabetes drug used by those with and without the disease to control weight – in Hollywood.
For example, a September Elle article said: “Ozempic is the weight loss drug that’s apparently taking over Hollywood—only, no one will admit that they’re on it.”
However, data shows that California isn’t even in the top five states where this medication and others like it are prescribed most.
Citing data from Purple Lab/Lexus Nexus, Axios recently created a map of the places across the U.S. where GLP-1 prescriptions are dispensed the most. Both Ozempic and the drug Wegovy fall into this category, as well as Mounjaro and Zepbound.
“A month's supply of these drugs paid for fully out of pocket will typically set you back between $900 and $1,300,” said Axios.
Dr. Diana Thiara, an internist at UCSF Health and director of the UCSF Medical Weight Management Program, joined KCBS Radio’s Alice Wertz on “As Prescribed” last year to discuss the medications.
“What they do most importantly is they work at your pancreas to increase the amount of insulin your body is making,” she explained. Thiara also said they work on the stomach to decrease gastric emptying, which leads to a feeling of fullness.
Here are the states with the most GLP-1 prescriptions:
· Kentucky (20.7 prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people)
· West Virginia (18.9 prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people)
· Alaska (17.5 prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people)
· Mississippi (16.1 prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people)
· Louisiana (15.4 prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people)
“The data is based on a collection of 1.9 billion claims from private insurers, as well as Medicare – which only covers GLP-1s to treat diabetes – and Medicaid,” said Axios. It said the data was not broken down to separate prescriptions related to diabetes compared to prescriptions related to weight loss alone.
Axios also noted that data doesn’t pick up prescriptions that were paid for in cash.