Demand for weight loss drugs soars to nearly half of Americans

American consumers want to take weight loss drugs and are confident in pharma companies’ ability to develop them, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll.

This eagerness makes sense, given the buzzy excitement around Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, which has become pop culture shorthand in a way that’s rare for branded prescription drugs. Although Ozempic, an injectable form of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide, is approved in the U.S. for adults with Type 2 diabetes, it has gained its notoriety for its off-label usage for weight loss, especially among celebrities.