New prescriptions for Wegovy among teenagers increased by 50% between 2023 and 2024, according to a June 3 report from healthcare data company Truveta.
To analyze GLP-1 utilization trends among adolescents, Truveta examined data from 1.2 million children aged 12 to 17 who had a recorded body mass index the same day as an outpatient visit between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2025.
Fewer than 1% of adolescents in the study received a prescription for Wegovy or Saxenda, both weight loss drugs manufactured by Novo Nordisk. In 2023, the rate of first-time Wegovy prescriptions was 9.9 per 100,000 adolescents. That figure rose to 14.8 per 100,000 in 2024 — a 50% increase. First-time Saxenda prescriptions remained relatively stable, according to the report.
Wegovy prescription rates surged at a rate 17.7 times higher than Saxenda.
A separate report from Evernorth found even higher utilization rates among younger patients. Among adolescents prescribed GLP-1s for weight loss, Generation Alpha (ages 14 and younger) saw the steepest increase — 84.6% between 2023 and 2024. Generation Z (ages 15 to 28) followed with a 67.8% increase, while millennials (ages 29 to 43) experienced a 47.7% rise.
Health experts have told Becker’s that factors contributing to this trend include rising obesity rates and endorsements from social media influencers and celebrities.
