More Than Half Quit Ozempic and Wegovy Within a Year – What a Massive Danish Study Reveals
A new Danish study has shed light on an unexpected problem with today’s most popular weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy (both based on semaglutide). Despite their reputation as miracle treatments for weight management, the research found that over half of adults prescribed semaglutide for weight loss stopped taking it within the first year.
This is not just a minor detail—it raises important questions about cost, side effects, patient expectations, and the sustainability of these medications as long-term solutions for obesity. Let’s unpack the specifics of this research, and along the way, add some broader context on how semaglutide works, why adherence matters, and what challenges patients face.
The Study: Scope and Method
The research was presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, 2025. It was based on nationwide health records from Denmark, giving it one of the most comprehensive perspectives available on real-world use of semaglutide for weight loss.
- Population studied: Adults aged 18 years and older who did not have diabetes.
- Treatment start window: Between December 1, 2022 (the date semaglutide became available for weight management in Denmark) and October 1, 2023.
- Number of new users tracked: 77,310 first-time semaglutide users.
- Median age: 50 years.
- Gender breakdown: 72% women.
By following this group through registry data, researchers were able to identify patterns of medication adherence, discontinuation, and the factors that influenced why people stopped.
Key Findings: A High Drop-Off Rate
The results are striking:
- 18% of users stopped within 3 months.
- 31% had quit by 6 months.
- 42% were no longer taking it at 9 months.
- By the one-year mark, 52% of patients had discontinued treatment.
This means that more than half of people who started semaglutide for weight loss in Denmark did not continue beyond the first year.
Why People Stopped Taking Semaglutide
The study identified several predictors of discontinuation.
Age
- Younger adults (ages 18–29) were 48% more likely to stop within a year compared to middle-aged adults (45–59 years).
Gender
- Men were 12% more likely to discontinue than women. Interestingly, women generally tend to see better weight loss outcomes with GLP-1 medications, which may partly explain this gender gap.
Socioeconomic Status
- People living in low-income areas were 14% more likely to quit compared to those in wealthier areas.
Medical History
- Patients who had previously used gastrointestinal medications (suggesting vulnerability to nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea—common side effects of GLP-1 drugs) were 9% more likely to stop.
- Those with a history of psychiatric medication use were 12% more likely to discontinue.
- People with cardiovascular disease or other chronic conditions were around 10% more likely to stop within the year.
The Role of Cost
One of the most significant barriers highlighted by the study is cost.
- Even in Denmark, where healthcare is largely tax-funded, semaglutide prescribed for weight loss is not fully covered.
- Patients often have to pay out-of-pocket, and the expense is substantial: the lowest available dose cost around €2,000 per year in mid-2025.
For people in lower-income regions, this high cost becomes unsustainable, explaining part of the higher discontinuation rates.
Side Effects and Tolerability
While semaglutide is effective, its side effects are often hard to ignore. The most common are gastrointestinal, including:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal discomfort
These effects usually lessen with time, but for some, they are significant enough to stop treatment.
Patients with pre-existing gastrointestinal sensitivity or mental health conditions were shown to be particularly likely to discontinue, suggesting that tolerability plays a strong role in adherence.
Why Quitting Matters
Semaglutide and other GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) work by:
- Reducing appetite.
- Increasing feelings of fullness.
- Slowing down gastric emptying.
If the medication is stopped, these effects disappear, and weight regain is common.
Researchers caution that semaglutide is not a quick fix. Its benefits only persist with continued use. Stopping early undermines the progress patients may have made and potentially returns them to square one.
Limitations of the Study
As thorough as this research was, there are limits:
- No BMI data: The registries didn’t track individual BMI, so we don’t know baseline or follow-up weight changes for each patient.
- No personal financial data: Researchers only had area-level socioeconomic indicators, not individual income or insurance coverage.
- Underestimation of side effects: Milder side effects not leading to prescription medications or hospital visits may not have been captured.
- No data on actual weight loss achieved: We can’t directly see whether people stopped because they were dissatisfied with results or felt they had lost enough weight.
Beyond the Study: How Do GLP-1 Drugs Work?
To understand why stopping semaglutide has such an impact, it helps to look at how these drugs function.
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Explained
- GLP-1 is a hormone naturally released in the gut after eating.
- It signals the brain to reduce appetite, slow gastric emptying, and promote insulin release.
- GLP-1RAs like semaglutide mimic this hormone, enhancing these effects in a much stronger and longer-lasting way.
Originally designed to treat type 2 diabetes, semaglutide was later approved for weight loss when researchers realized it significantly reduced body weight in non-diabetic patients.
The Popularity Surge of Ozempic and Wegovy
- Ozempic was originally launched for diabetes.
- Wegovy was branded specifically for weight loss.
- In recent years, both drugs have become highly sought after—so much so that global demand has led to shortages.
- They have also entered cultural conversations, with celebrities and influencers discussing their use, adding to the hype.
Broader Concerns: Equity and Access
The Danish study highlights an important issue: health disparities.
- Obesity already disproportionately affects marginalized racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
- If the best available treatments are prohibitively expensive, the gap in outcomes may only widen.
- This raises policy questions about whether such drugs should be subsidized or included in broader healthcare coverage.
Long-Term Outlook
The findings suggest that the long-term sustainability of semaglutide as a weight-loss solution depends on:
- Affordability – if costs remain high, dropout rates will likely continue.
- Side effect management – patients may need better support to navigate the initial difficult months.
- Realistic expectations – understanding that semaglutide isn’t a one-time fix but a long-term therapy may help adherence.
What This Means Globally
While this study was conducted in Denmark, the lessons resonate worldwide:
- In the United States, many patients face even higher costs due to limited insurance coverage for weight-loss drugs.
- In other countries, access may be restricted entirely, either by regulation or by price.
- As the market for GLP-1 medications grows, similar discontinuation patterns are likely to emerge globally.
Conclusion
The Danish registry study provides the clearest real-world evidence yet that semaglutide’s promise comes with a major challenge: staying on it. More than half of people who start Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss quit within a year, largely due to costs, side effects, and personal health factors.
This doesn’t diminish the effectiveness of the drug—it works remarkably well when taken consistently—but it raises pressing questions about access, affordability, and long-term treatment strategies for obesity.
For now, the message is clear: semaglutide can be life-changing, but only if patients can afford it, tolerate it, and commit to staying on it for the long run.
Research reference:
EASD 2025 study on semaglutide discontinuation – EurekAlert summary
