A city in the south emerges as the Ozempic capital of the United States
Controversy surrounding diabetes drug, Ozempic, being used tor weight loss
The diabetes drug, Ozempic, has been in the headlines, causing quite a stir. Senior writer for Drugwatch.com, Terry Turner, joined LiveNow to discuss how some people are ending up in the hospital, for misusing Ozempic as a weight loss drug.
The southern Kentucky city of Bowling Green has reportedly emerged as a major center for weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
The share of people prescribed GLP-1 agonist drug prescriptions in and around Bowling Green in the past 12 months amounted to 4% at minimum, Bloomberg reported.
The "conservative" figure, the outlet said, was based on data from PurpleLab Inc.
The anti-diabetic medication Ozempic, made by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, Feb. 23, 2023, in Paris (Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Image)
In Brooklyn and Miami, 1% of residents get weight loss drug prescriptions, Bloomberg reported.
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The statewide weight loss drug prescription rate for Kentucky, at 6.8%, also topped other states in the U.S., according to the outlet.
Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi and Georgia were reportedly among the other states with high concentrations of GLP-1 agonist prescriptions.
Rachel Graham holds a Mounjaro injectable pen at her home in Carlsbad, Calif., Nov. 30, 2022. (Sandy Huffaker for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Bloomberg suggested factors like Kentucky’s obesity rate and the availability of employer insurance coverage for weight loss drugs may have contributed to Bowling Green’s density of prescriptions.
Nearly 75,000 people call Bowling Green home.
ELI LILLY RAISES FORECAST AFTER BOOST IN ZEPBOUND, MOUNJARO SALES
In the city, pharmacies, med spas and weight loss clinics have benefited from the demand for weight loss medications, according to Bloomberg.
Across the U.S., more and more people have been seeking drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound to help with weight loss.
Wegovy, an injectable prescription weight loss medicine that has helped people with obesity (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Novo Nordisk is the pharmaceutical company behind Ozempic and Wegovy. Mounjaro and Zepbound, which have also seen a rise in popularity, are made by Eli Lilly.
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Shares in Ozempic’s maker have posted a nearly 42% increase over the past 12 months, helping push it to a market capitalization of $444.72 billion. Eli Lilly has also climbed over the same time frame, going up nearly 70% in stock price.
Six percent of American adults reported current usage of GLP-1 agonist medications in a KFF Health Tracking Poll published in May.
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