Physicians estimate up to 15% of people who try GLP-1s — the popular class of anti-obesity medications that includes drugs that include Ozempic and Wegovy — lose less than 5% of their body weight, The Wall Street Journal reported April 1.
"Non-responders" is a phrase physicians use to describe patients who see little weight loss after trying the drugs. Overall, there is a wide range in how much weight people lose when taking the drugs, and researchers are continuing to study factors behind the variations.
The Journal cited a trial involving patients taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, that found about 14% of patients lost less than 5% of their body weight and one-third lost less than 10%. Meanwhile, a trial focused on tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli LIlly's Mounjaro and Zepbound, demonstrated similar results. Wegovy and Zepbound have been approved by the FDA for weight loss, while Ozempic and Mounajro have been prescribed for that purpose in an off-label fashion.
The fact that some patients drop a significant amount of weight while others lose relatively little does not necessarily come as a surprise to physicians, who say genetics, medical condition and other prescriptions a person is taking could affect how they respond to the drugs.
"There's going to be extreme variability in how people respond," Eduardo Grunvald, MD, an obesity-medicine specialist at UC San Diego Health, told the news outlet.
Genetic testing is one tool that may help identify patients who may not respond to GLP-1s, according to experts. For instance, if someone tests positive for specific genes, a physician may recommend a medication for genetically linked obesity.
Read more of the latest updates on GLP-1s here.