$33.8 Billion U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market Dominated by GLP-1 Drugs

Medical Programs Soar Since 2022

Tampa – WEBWIRE – Friday, February 28, 2025

John LaRosa, Research Director

GLP-1 drugs have stolen market share from nearly every competing weight loss market segment."

February 28, 2025 - Marketdata LLC, a leading market research firm tracking the weight loss market since 1989, has released a new 154-page report: “The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: Impact of GLP-1s On Physicians, Hospitals, Clinics and Franchises”. This analysis investigates the growing market for weight loss drugs, medical weight loss clinic chains and franchises, bariatric surgery, programs by bariatricians and othr MDs, and very low calorie diet programs.

“At no other time in the U.S. weight loss market history has one product so dominated the market as have the new GLP-1 weight loss drugs. American dieters have flocked to them, shunning commercial weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers, Medifast, and Herbalife, as well as retail and MLM meal replacements.”, according to John LaRosa, Marketdata’s Research Director.

Major Report Findings:

* The value of the U.S. medical weight loss market more than quadrupled since 2020, to $33.8 billion in 2024. Average annual growth of 12% is forecast through 2028.

* The prescription obesity drugs market soared from $5.0 billion in 2022 to $26.4 billion by 2024, due to high demand for new GLP-1 drugs. More than 8% of Americans are now estimated to be using them.

* The number of weight loss surgeries has declined 25% since 2022, to 211,000 procedures, as Americans opted for the new drugs instead. This market segment is worth $5.29 billion.

* Hospitals have had a mixed record with weight loss programs. Only 29% of the nation’s hospitals (about 1,400) provide some form of weight loss program – surgery or a non-surgical program. Most of their focus is on surgery.

* Medical weight loss programs represented 11.7% of the total U.S. weight loss market in 2022, but this share is forecast to triple to 36% by 2028.

* Prescription weight loss drugs have stolen major market share from commercial weight loss companies, the meal replacements market, health clubs, the bariatric surgery market, and more.

* The top 11 medical weight loss franchises and regional chains are estimated to have had $264 million in system-wide sales in 2024. Most franchises are not growing. The “average” franchise has yearly gross sales of $563,000.

“The booming market for GLP-1 drugs has attracted physicians, nurses, dieticians, telemedicine services, medical weight loss franchises, compounding pharmacies, medical spas, entrepreneurs, and purveyors of business opportunity packages -- all looking to cash in. However, the party may soon be over for the compounding pharmacies, since the FDA declared and end to the shortage of some major semaglutide meds.”, according to Research Director, John LaRosa.

About The Report

This 154-page report by Marketdata, entitled “The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: Impact of GLP-1s On Doctors, Hospitals, Clinics and Franchises”, presents a complete picture of the medical weight loss market in the United States, with the inter-relationships between competing MDs, clinics, surgeons and pharmaceutical firms. Contains 35 tables and charts. Price: $1,495. Table of Contents at Marketdata website. 23-page Overview Summary report available for $99. Purchase at: marketdataenterprises.com, or call 813-971-8080. John LaRosa is available for interviews.

Coverage… dollar value & growth rates of all major medical weight loss market segments (1997 to 2024 & 2028 forecasts), latest market trends and company developments, in-depth analyses of these markets: weight loss surgery, programs by bariatricians, programs by hospitals, clinics (franchises, regional chains), and independent MDs, programs by VLCD (very low calorie diet) vendors, and the prescription obesity drugs market. Report Includes: Market performance since the pandemic for all market segments: 2022-2024, how dieter behavior changed with the pandemic, findings of interviews with managements of medical chains, associations, new data about the number of hospitals with weight loss programs, by state, analysis of the skyrocketing market for Rx obesity drugs and MD programs. Competitor profiles for: HMR, Optifast, Robard, Lindora Clinics, Ideal Protein, Options Medical Weight Loss, Medi-Weightloss Clinics, Centers for Medical Weight Loss, Medical Weight Loss of Michigan, Nuviva, JumptStart MD, Dr. G’s,

About Marketdata

Marketdata LLC is a 45-year old market research and consulting firm, with a specialty tracking the weight loss market since 1989. It also tracks a wide variety of healthcare and personal service markets and industries. The firm performs custom research and consulting projects, as well as business coaching. It has published more than 50 in-depth weight loss studies, serving Fortune 500 firms, start-ups, investors, small businesses, banks, ad agencies, trade associations, private equity firms and entrepreneurs. Marketdata also operates a free weight loss market news website, DietBusinessWatch.com, covering company and market developments.