Two in five Australian adults may be eligible for a GLP-1 weight loss drug

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-08-17 16:11

Australia; VIC

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Two in five Australian adults may be eligible for a GLP-1 RA medication - the class of weight loss/diabetes drugs including Ozempic and Mounjaro - according to Australian research. The team used the Therapeutic Goods Administration's current advice on the use of GLP-1s and examined data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2022 National Health Survey to estimate how many Australian adults qualified for the drugs to help manage their weight or prevent heart disease, based on their weight and weight-related health problems. They say 7.8 million Aussies likely qualified, including almost 45% of adults living in low-income households. Actually supplying these drugs to anywhere near that number of Australians would have major economic ramifications for the country, the researchers say, adding that future decisions on subsidising these drugs would need to consider who is at greatest need, and how to make access equitable for those on lower incomes.