Weight-loss drugs are booming in these US states with nearly 25% on GLP-1 meds in one obesity hot spot

With new agreements from President Donald Trump promising lower prices on popular weight-loss drugs, the use of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could soon surge even higher — a trend already spreading unevenly across the US, with some states seeing greater uptick than others.Based on insurance claims data from Purple Lab, a Pennsylvania health analytics company, a 2024 report published by GLP-1 Newsroom broke down the estimated number of weight-loss and diabetes drug prescriptions per state.The prescription records came from both commercial and government insurers, and they don’t include people who paid cash, used telehealth providers, used compounded versions or were uninsured — which means the actual numbers are likely higher.The report identified the following states where more than 15% of the state’s population received GLP-1 prescriptions for weight loss or diabetes control. Take a look at the list below.The highest GLP-1 usage rates were concentrated in the South, Midwest and Appalachia, likely due to their higher obesity and diabetes rates.The report also identified these lowest-usage states, mostly in coastal and Western regions.Hawaii had the lowest overall prescriptions.See the list below.Dr.

Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert who often prescribes GLP-1 medications to his patients, takes a daily microdose each day to promote heart health.“These agents are primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes, but the tides are turning — and soon, in my humble opinion, they will be used more to treat obesity (or categorically ‘overweight’ individuals), absent diabetes, although there is typically a high degree of crossover between the two conditions,” Osborn told Fox News Digital.The doctor also predicts that GLP-1s will soon be used to treat or prevent vascular disease, temper drinking, address gambling addiction, slow cognitive decline and likely as a complement to chemotherapy cancer treatments.“Prescrib...