Prescriptions for weight-loss drugs surged in 2024 and were much more popular in some states, particularly those in the South and Midwest with higher rates of obesity.
Fills for some of the most popular drugs for losing weight doubled from the start of 2024 until the end of October, according to research by drug pricing comparison platform GoodRx.
The fill rate represents the percentage of fills among all medications, excluding vaccines.
GoodRx said drugs that are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes—Ozempic, Mounjaro and Victoza—had some of the highest fill rates in Southern states such as Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.
Still, doctors often prescribe type 2 diabetes drugs for weight loss off label.
Northeastern states such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Delaware had high fill rates for drugs that are FDA-approved for weight loss: Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda, Qsymia and phentermine.
Alaska had the highest combined fill rate for both types of drugs.
Below is a table that further shows the fill rate for weight loss drugs by state.
What are the most popular weight loss drugs?
Ozempic is the most popular drug prescribed for losing weight, achieving a roughly 0.7% fill rate as of the end of October.
The other weight loss drugs in the top five are: Mounjaro (0.6%), Wegovy (0.3%), Zepbound (0.2%) and phentermine (0.2%).
Zepbound has especially grown in popularity: Fills for the drug quadrupled in 2024 from the previous year.
What are people paying for weight-loss drugs?
Spending on weight-loss drugs ranged from $13 a fill for phentermine to more than $230 a fill for Zepbound, GoodRx said.
People can expect to pay more than $97 out-of-pocket per fill for medications prescribed for weight loss, which is more than six times the national average for out-of-pocket spending per prescription in 2024, GoodRx said.
But Americans also overspent more than $200 million on weight loss drugs in 2024 by paying the full retail price, GoodRx said, pointing to how patients can save money finding better prices on its website.
A big reason people are paying so much for weight loss drugs is the lack of insurance coverage.
There are usually restrictions if commercial insurance covers weight-loss medications at all, GoodRx said, and Medicare is barred from covering these medications only for weight loss.
"More often than not, people with commercial insurance have to jump through hoops to get coverage for these medications," GoodRx said. "This includes filling out paperwork for prior authorization or trying a different medication first."