Key takeaways:
Since the start of 2025, fills for Wegovy and Zepbound have increased by 25% and 19%, respectively. Fills for Mounjaro have also increased by over 50%.
Only 4% of those with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage of Zepbound, and 9% have unrestricted coverage of Wegovy. The average insured person taking Zepbound can expect to pay over $1,400 a year in copays.
Nearly 9% of people with commercial insurance have no coverage of at least one brand-name GIP and GLP-1 agonist prescribed specifically for weight loss. Without insurance, people face retail costs of over $1,400 per prescription.
Save on related medications
Demand for medications that cause weight loss — especially GIP and GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound — is skyrocketing. However, limited insurance coverage leaves many Americans paying high out-of-pocket costs.
But despite steep costs and access issues like insurance restrictions and formulary exclusions, GoodRx data reveals a surge in weight-loss medication fills.
Fills for weight-loss medications are increasing
Ozempic, a brand-name medication that quickly became a media sensation, has been steadily gaining in popularity for years. It’s a GLP-1 agonist that was initially approved in 2017 for Type 2 diabetes. But Ozempic’s weight-loss benefits led to a rise in demand.
Wegovy contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic (semaglutide). But it’s prescribed specifically for weight loss. Its fill rate has doubled since the start of 2024. In March 2024, Wegovy was also approved to lower the risk of serious heart problems in people with a larger body size. Since then, demand has increased for both Ozempic and Wegovy — so much so that both these medications experienced shortages.
Mounjaro and Zepbound are GIP receptor / GLP-1 receptor agonists with the same active ingredient (tirzepatide). Since their approval, they have become the most popular drugs in the category prescribed to treat Type 2 diabetes and weight loss, respectively. Fills for Zepbound have grown over 600% since the beginning of 2024.
Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) is another weight-loss medication in the same drug class as semaglutide. Fills for the recently approved generic version of liraglutide have increased.
With the rise in popularity of GIP and GLP-1 agonists, fills for older weight-loss medications like phentermine declined slightly in the last year.
Some states see higher use of weight-loss medications than others
As the map below shows, fills for weight-loss medications prescribed specifically for Type 2 diabetes (Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Victoza) are higher in Hawaii, Alaska, and Southern states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama.
Meanwhile, Northeastern states like Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, and New Hampshire have some of the highest fill rates for medications prescribed specifically for weight loss (Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda, Qsymia, and phentermine).
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However, Vermont has the highest combined fill rate for all weight-loss medications in the U.S.
People face steep out-of-pocket costs for weight-loss medications
The cost of weight-loss medications can add up because there aren’t many generic options. As the figure below shows, the average spent out of pocket on weight-loss medications in 2025 ranged from $15 per fill for phentermine to over $110 per fill for Zepbound. Out-of-pocket cost includes amount paid without insurance and insurance copays.
People pay more out of pocket for these medications when they are prescribed for weight loss instead of diabetes. On average, people taking Zepbound for weight loss paid over $66 more per fill than those taking Mounjaro for diabetes even though both medications have the same active ingredient. Similarly, people taking Wegovy for weight loss paid $40 more per fill than those taking Ozempic for diabetes.
Insurance coverage for weight-loss medications is often lacking
The out-of-pocket spend for weight-loss medications depends on the type of medication and whether or not it’s covered by insurance. Commercial insurance often doesn’t cover weight-loss medications without some restrictions. And Medicare is barred from covering these medications solely for weight loss.
Insurance usually covers Mounjaro, Ozempic, or Victoza if they’re prescribed for Type 2 diabetes. But it may impose restrictions. Only 18% of people with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage for Ozempic. Meanwhile, 79% of people with coverage must meet additional requirements such as prior authorization or step therapy. Similarly, only 22% and 7% of people with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage for Mounjaro and Victoza, respectively.
When it comes to GIP and GLP-1 agonists prescribed specifically for weight loss:
4% of those with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage of Zepbound.
8% of those with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage of Saxenda.
9% of those with commercial insurance have unrestricted coverage of Wegovy.
More often than not, people with commercial insurance have to jump through hoops to get coverage for these medications. This includes filling out paperwork for prior authorization or trying a different medication first.
However, 8.5% of people with commercial insurance have no coverage at all for at least one brand-name GIP and GLP-1 agonist prescribed for weight loss. This means over 16 million commercially insured people may be left to pay the full price for medications like Zepbound, Wegovy, and Saxenda. Likewise, 16% and 18% of insured people have no coverage for phentermine and Qsymia, respectively.
No coverage can lead to paying more
If people don’t have insurance coverage or don’t meet their insurance plan’s coverage requirements, they may pay over $1,400 per prescription.
For example, people taking Wegovy who don’t have insurance coverage face an average cash price of $1,730 per fill out of pocket. That’s compared to an average copay of $77 per fill with insurance coverage. Similarly, people taking Saxenda who don’t have insurance coverage face an average cash price of $1,686 per fill. The average insurance copay is $77.
Even with insurance coverage, copays for weight-loss medications can add up. People taking Zepbound paid an average of $120 per fill even with insurance coverage. That means a full year of taking Zepbound can cost people over $1,400 out of pocket, even with coverage.
Savings tips
Even with limited insurance coverage, demand for weight-loss medications remains strong and is growing. People without coverage can still save on the full retail price through prescription discount programs like GoodRx.
GoodRx can save people an average of $500 every month on the top 7 GLP-1 medications. Savings based on difference between retail prescription prices and GoodRx price, as of September 2025.
The bottom line
Insurance coverage for popular weight-loss medications is limited. There’s poorer coverage when these drugs are prescribed for chronic weight management compared to diabetes. As a result, these treatments are still very expensive for many Americans.
Despite the financial barriers, demand for weight-loss medications continues to rise.
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Methodology
Prescription fill rate: We calculated the fill percent for each weight-loss medication by taking the fill count for a medication as a percentage of fills for all medications, excluding vaccines. We used a representative sample of U.S. prescription fills. We calculated state-level fill rates for claims filled between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
Out-of-pocket costs: We calculated average out-of-pocket cost per prescription using a representative sample of U.S. prescription fills from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. We normalized amounts paid based on the dispensed quantity to a 30-day supply. Average out-of-pocket cost with insurance reflects claims with commercial insurance payment. Average out-of-pocket without insurance reflects the average usual and customary cash price.
Commercial insurance coverage: We sourced prescription insurance coverage from Managed Markets Insight and Technology, LLC™, a trademark of MMIT, as of January 2026. Data reflect share of commercial and health exchange covered lives for the most common form and dosage of each medication.
References
ASHP. (2025). Semaglutide injection.
