The new research findings show a significant increase in the use of weight loss drugs between patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery, marking a development in the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The research will be presented at the Clinical Conference of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in Chicago, October 4-7.
There is no approach to a size to treat obesity, metabolic syndrome or diabetes and its relevant conditions. We are entering a new world of interdisciplinary care routes and a new border of weight management that is important for patients and surgeons to think. ”
Patrick J. Sweigert, MD, Higher Author of the Study and a Bariatric and Foregut Surgeon, Ohio University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
The research team conducted a transverse section study examining peptide-1 (GLP-1s) (Wegovy, Ozempic) and Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) between patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery. Dr. Sweigert and his colleagues analyzed nearly 365,000 patients undergoing primary metabolic and bariatric surgery between 2018 and 2024.
Basic findings
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Preliminary findings indicate that the percentage of patients receiving at least one GLP -1 prescription in the year that led to surgery increased from 1.8% in the first trimester of 2020 to 29.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024 – a rise of sixteen. Use increased in patients with and without diabetes, underlining the growing role of these drugs in the treatment of obesity, regardless of the condition of diabetes.
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Among patients without type 2 diabetes, preoperative GLP-1 uses Rose elevend times in the last three years-from 2.1% in the first quarter of 2022 to 23.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The average age of patients was 43 years, the average preoperative bodily mass (BMI) of these patients was 46. Women were 80% of the sample and 33% had a diabetes of type 2.
Head writer Stefanie C. Rohde, MD, a general surgery at the Wexner Wexner University Medical Center, noted that the findings reflect the shift in the way in which bariatric surgery candidates perceive their treatment.
“While patients previously believed that they had to choose between fighters and surgery of the GLP-1 receptor, we now see people use both,” said Dr. Rohde. “We know that patients can use GLP-1s after bariatric surgery to enhance their weight loss, but all of this is still very new in terms of how patients manage it effectively.”
Moving forward, he added, real world data, such as those that can support the development of guidelines based on evidence of when to start, combine or switch between treatment approaches, either before surgery or during the post -operative period.
The researchers recognized the restrictions on their analysis, including possible inaccuracies in health registration and uncertainty about whether patients completed or received their prescription medicines.
The co-author of the study is Mahmoud Abdel-Rasoul, MS, MPH.
Source:
Magazine report:
Sweigert, P., et al. (2025) The preoperative use of the glycagone-like peptide-1 agonist has increased among patients with bariatric surgery, scientific forum, clinical conference of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2025.
