Read More: Patients Are Suing Over Alleged Side Effects of Weight-Loss Drugs

About 140,400 obese patients in Massachusetts were prescribed medications like Wegovy and Zepbound in 2024, a 255 percent increase from 2023, according to a Globe analysis of insurance claims data.

If successful, the result could be lower Medicare Part D prices for drugs used to create a variety of conditions, such as cancer, asthma, type 2 diabetes and weight loss - Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. Austedo and Austedo XR, used to treat Huntington’s disease.

The findings, based on an analysis of records from 2.5 million VA patients, support much of what scientists already suspected but contain surprises, too.

In all, researchers found that people taking GLP-1 medications had lower risks for 42 health outcomes, including liver failure, lung failure, cardiac arrest, aspiration pneumonia and shock.

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic may decrease your risk of developing 42 health conditions, but increase your chance of experiencing 19 others, according to one of the most comprehensive studies-of-its-kind to date.

A new study published in the Nature Medicine monthly journal highlights the benefits and risks of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Positives include reduced risks of infections and cardiac arrest,

A new study found that GLP-1 medications like Ozempic can lower your risk for 42 conditions, including dementia. Here's what to know, per a neurologist.