URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are changing the game for weight loss according to a University of Illinois professor. 

GLP-1 medications were originally intended to treat type 2 diabetes, but a growing number of people are using it for weight loss. 

Patrick Sweeney, University of Illinois molecular and integrated physiology assistant professor, said that while weight loss drugs aren’t new, the current medications double or triple the number of pounds shed compared to what was used about a decade ago.

“They’re really game changers in the obesity and diabetes fields,” Sweeney said. 

He said this is only the beginning. 

“These classes of drugs are probably going to be the most prescribed drug, or at least among the most prescribed drug, in the U.S. and really perhaps around the entire world,” Sweeney said. 

A 2024 poll found that more than 12% of U.S. adults have taken a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic. 40% said they took it for weight loss. Back in 2023, only 4% of American adults reported ever using the class of drug.

“They’re capable of really facilitating people to lose quite a bit, a large amount of weight that would be very, very hard to lose simply by dieting and exercise,” Sweeney said. 

A growing audience of people are taking the drugs for weight loss.  

“I would caution people who are healthy weight, or maybe even a little bit overweight jumping right to medications simply because these are still pretty new drugs,” Sweeney said. “For celebrities and people like that that are using them, I imagine it’s effective, but there are other, probably better, strategies that are maybe less risky than taking medicine.”

He said the popularity of the drugs for weight loss could leave a lasting impact on the drug industry. 

“I think with the success of them you’re going to see more and more pharma companies developing similar drugs,” Sweeney said. 

He said that growth could lower costs and make them more financially feasible for people.

“Millions of people could benefit from these drugs and a large percentage of them are unable to take them for financial reasons,” Sweeney said.

He warns that the newness of the drugs means researchers and providers don’t fully know the long term effects. But they do know it’s not necessarily a quick fix to keep weight off.

“Generally when you stop taking these drugs, oftentimes patients will gain the weight back, so it could be a situation where patients are having to stay on these drugs for a very, very long, perhaps even their whole life,” Sweeney said. 

Sweeney said the drugs could be effective in treating more than obesity and diabetes going forward. He listed cardiovascular diseases, inflammation and even drug addiction as possible uses going forward.