Most weight-loss jabs users are at risk of putting the pounds back on because they quit within a year, a new study has found.
Experts have warned that the injections are not a “temporary quick fix” and quitting so soon means the benefits will be lost.
Despite this, more than half of people on anti-obesity injections stop using them within 12 months of starting, according to the largest study of its kind.
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Men, those aged under 30, and people with multiple existing health conditions – who stand to gain the most benefit – are among the groups of people most likely to stop the jabs soonest.
Researchers said the drop-off was “concerning” because the benefits are “lost if the medication is stopped”.
Previous research has found that weight-loss jab users put the pounds back on when they quit the medication.
Experts from the University of Oxford found that patients using the injections lost 8kg on average but returned to their original weight within 10 months of stopping them.
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For the new study, presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria, experts tracked more than 77,000 people taking semaglutide, also known by brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, for the first time.
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They found that 52 per cent of people had quit the jabs after 12 months, with about a third stopping after just six months.
Prof Reimar W Thomsen, lead author of the study from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, said: “This level of drop-off is concerning because these medications aren’t meant to be a temporary quick fix.
“For them to work effectively, they need to be taken long term. All of the beneficial effects on appetite control are lost if the medication is stopped.”
The research looked at the different factors that affected people stopping the drugs.
They found those under 30 were the most likely to quit, which more than two thirds had by the end of a year. They were 48 per cent more likely to stop than those aged 45 to 59 years old – the age least likely to come off the medication.
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The study also found men were 12 per cent more likely to quit than women, despite considerably less of them taking the drug –22,000 compared to 55,000.
The researchers suggested it could reflect a dissatisfaction with the weight they had lost given previous trials have suggested they are more effective in women.
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Other trends identified included those living in lower-income areas being more likely to quit, as well as people who had previously used gastrointestinal or psychiatric medications.
And people living with heart disease or other chronic conditions were around 10 per cent more likely to stop treatment early, despite research finding they can also help those issues.
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“This is particularly concerning given that people with obesity-related co-morbidities may reap the greatest benefit from treatment,” said Prof Thomsen.
“These results are new and shed light on the reasons for high rates of early discontinuation of semaglutide for weight loss in a real-world setting. With over half of adults in Europe living with overweight or obesity, understanding who may benefit most from interventions that encourage adherence is essential to improving treatment use and subsequent health outcomes and quality of life.”
An estimated 1.5 million people in the UK are using weight-loss jabs, with the majority taking Mounjaro and buying it privately because of scarce availability on the NHS.
However, more people are looking to switch to Wegovy following a price hike by Mounjaro manufacturer Eli Lilly, which came into effect at the start of the month.