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Young people’s use of diabetes and weight loss drugs is up 600 percent 

GLP-1 drug dispensing has rapidly increased since 2020 

A stock image of a white box containing three blue injector pens. The box is labeled with the words weight loss and semaglutide.

Use of Ozempic and related drugs that mimic the hormone GLP-1 has been on the rise in recent years, especially in young women.

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By Meghan Rosen

Researchers have clocked a rapid surge of young people receiving popular diabetes and weight loss drugs. 

From 2020 to 2023, the number of U.S. adolescents and young adults who picked up prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy and related drugs rocketed up nearly 600 percent — from roughly 8,700 people to more than 60,000, scientists report May 22 in JAMA.