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Item new Peer-reviewed Added

Semaglutide for weight management and use of other prescribed medicines in Denmark

In 189,392 Danish semaglutide initiators, antiasthmatic use fell below trend (RR 0.82) while anxiolytic use rose (RR 1.16).

This Danish register-based interrupted time series included 189,392 adults (68% women) starting semaglutide for weight management in 2022–2024. Monthly prescriptions for 10 medication classes, 24 months before to 12 months after starting, were compared with pre-initiation trends. At 12 months, use was below projection for antiasthmatics (RR 0.82), analgesics (0.93), antidepressants (0.93) and antihypertensives (0.92). Anxiolytic use rose (RR 1.16) and stayed above projection at two years. Glucose-lowering medicines fell (RR 0.87), but a similar fall appeared in a negative control cohort. The design is observational and relies on projected trends, so the changes are associations, not proven drug effects.

Why it is interesting: National prescription records show how a widely used obesity drug relates to the wider medicine burden at population scale. The rise in anxiolytic use runs against the direction seen in most other medication classes.

Source
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 25 October 2026
Paper
Impact of Semaglutide Introduction on the Use of Concomitant Medications: An Interrupted Time Series
Authors
Roland N, Sonne H, Mose K, Kjærgaard K, Lundby C, Bramming M et al.
DOI
10.1111/dom.71489
Type
Peer-reviewed article
Design
Nationwide interrupted time series, Danish registers, 189,392 adults initiating semaglutide for weight management Dec 2022–Dec 2024, 24 months pre and 12 months post, with negative control cohort
Verdict
New finding
Driver
Obesity, diabetes and GLP-1
Free full text
Free to read at the publisher

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