Obesity rates have risen strikingly since the 1990s in the US, according to a new study from The Lancet, with nearly three-quarters of the country overweight or obese — and more than 50% considered obese or severely obese. Obesity has also been on the rise in Canada, with 30% of adults considered obese in 2023.
Amidst skyrocketing obesity, usage of Ozempic — a drug that aids with weight loss by mimicking the “fullness” hormone in the brain and curbing appetite — has also been increasing, with prescriptions rising by 300% in the US between 2020-2022. As of 2023, 12% of adults in Canada use the drug, compared to 10% in the US. While usage levels are relatively similar in both countries, prices are drastically different, with the weight loss drug costing over $600 more per month in the US.
This has led many Americans to cross the northern border to obtain the drug. And numbers could grow depending on policies put in place by Donald Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr., who has been highly critical of Ozempic as a treatment for obesity and diabetes.
