Ozempic less effective, costlier than weight loss surgery: Study

Ozempic costs $53,000 over five years; ESG surgery less than $20,000
Weekly Ozempic shots $1K per month compared to one-time surgery bill
ESG surgery more effective at sustaining weight loss over five years

Updated: Apr 15, 2024 / 11:19 AM CDT

FILE – The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. A preliminary review of side effects from popular drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity shows no link with suicidal thoughts or actions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. But the agency also said officials cannot definitively rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that they’ll continue to look into reports regarding more than a dozen drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

(NewsNation) — Ozempic isn’t a cheaper or more effective weight loss option compared to bariatric surgery, according to a study published in the journal JAMA Network.

Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers found that weight loss drugs containing semaglutide cost more than $53,000 over five years.

In comparison, weight-loss surgery, such as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), offers greater weight loss and costs less than $20,000.

How does semaglutide work versus surgery?

Ozempic, a brand name for the drug semaglutide, is used to treat type 2 diabetes but is increasingly being touted as a weight loss regimen, despite not being approved for such.

The drug helps suppress a person’s appetite and impacts how their body processes food.

In procedures like bariatric surgery, doctors remove the fat and the skin, which is not possible with a weight loss drug.

During an ESG operation, surgeons close off a portion of the stomach with stitches. As a result, the stomach becomes smaller, restricting how much someone can eat.

While semaglutide is typically a weekly injection, ESG is a one-time procedure. Yet, it can be repeated years later if the stomach has stretched or stitches have loosened.

Study breakdown

Researchers compared ESG with semaglutide to treat class two obesity patients with a BMI of 35-39.9, over five years.

The “base case” examined a 45-year-old patient with a BMI of 37, using data from clinical trials to simulate other hypothetical patients. Then, two treatment strategies were simulated — ESG and semaglutide versus no treatment.

Researchers found ESG more effective at sustaining the most weight loss after five years. For example, people’s BMI was 31.7 compared to 33.0 after the weight-loss surgery.

What’s the price difference?

According to Bariatric and General Surgery in Texas, ESG typically costs between $7,000 and $9,000. Semaglutide in comparison costs about $1,000 a month, researchers said.

Researchers added that the annual cost of semaglutide needs to be reduced threefold, from $13,618 to $3,591, for it to be a cost-competitive alternative.