Study Finds Surge In The Use Of Weight Loss Drugs Among Bariatric Surgery Patients

New investigation findings show a important summation successful nan usage of weight nonaccomplishment narcotics among patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery, signaling an improvement successful nan guidance of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. 

The investigation will beryllium presented astatine nan American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 successful Chicago, October 4-7. 

There's nary one-size-fits-all attack to treating obesity, metabolic syndrome, aliases glucosuria and its related conditions. We're entering a caller world of multidisciplinary attraction pathways and a caller frontier of weight guidance that is important for patients and surgeons to deliberation about." 

Patrick J. Sweigert, MD, elder writer of nan study and a bariatric and foregut surgeon, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio

The investigation squad performed a cross-sectional study looking astatine glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) among patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery. Dr. Sweigert and colleagues analyzed astir 365,000 patients who underwent superior metabolic and bariatric room betwixt 2018 and 2024. They utilized nan Epic Cosmos database, which includes much than 300 cardinal diligent records from institutions crossed nan country, to analyse medicine patterns for semaglutide and tirzepatide, 2 of nan newest GLP-1s to deed nan market. 

Key findings 

• Preliminary findings bespeak nan proportionality of patients receiving astatine slightest 1 GLP-1 medicine successful nan twelvemonth starring up to room accrued from 1.8% successful nan first 4th of 2020 to 29.4% successful nan 4th fourth of 2024 - a sixteenfold rise. Use surged crossed patients pinch and without diabetes, underscoring nan expanding domiciled of these medications successful obesity treatment, independent of glucosuria status. 

• Among patients without Type 2 diabetes, preoperative GLP-1 usage roseate elevenfold complete nan past 3 years-from 2.1% successful nan first 4th of 2022 to 23.2% successful nan 4th fourth of 2024. By comparison, usage among patients pinch Type 2 diabetes accrued fourfold, from 11.3% to 45.2% complete nan aforesaid period. 

The median property of patients was 43 years, nan median preoperative assemblage wide scale (BMI) of these patients was 46. Women made up 80% of nan sample, and 33% had a test of Type 2 diabetes. 

Lead writer Stefanie C. Rohde, MD, a wide room resident astatine The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, noted that nan findings bespeak a displacement successful really bariatric room candidates comprehend their curen options. 

"While patients antecedently believed they had to take betwixt GLP-1 receptor agonists and surgery, we're now seeing that group are utilizing both," Dr. Rohde said. "We cognize that patients tin usage GLP-1s aft bariatric room to amplify their weight loss. But each of this is still very caller successful position of really to negociate patients effectively." 

Going forward, she added, real-world information specified arsenic that from Epic Cosmos tin support nan improvement of evidence-based guidelines for erstwhile to start, combine, aliases modulation betwixt curen approaches, whether earlier room aliases during nan postoperative period. 

The investigators acknowledged limitations successful their analysis, including imaginable inaccuracies successful wellness grounds information and uncertainty astir whether patients filled aliases took their prescribed medications. 

Study co-author is Mahmoud Abdel-Rasoul, MS, MPH.