An analysis of national news coverage of semaglutide for weight loss.

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists like semaglutide have risen significantly in use in recent years as a therapeutic option for the management of obesity. Popular media serves as an information source for many patients, and depending on the content, may influence how a patient views a particular therapy.

Objective: To describe the content of online/print news articles published about semaglutide for weight loss.

Methods: Online websites and databases were used to access 8 major U.S. online/print news outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, CNN, ABC News, and CBS News. Sources were searched for articles focusing on semaglutide and weight loss published in 2023. Articles were excluded if they focused on: (1) type 2 diabetes, (2) company press releases, or were (3) videos or transcripts of oral broadcasts/podcasts. A random sample of articles was chosen with equitable distribution across sources. Articles were assessed for the presence of data across 9 domains and 30 different content codes, stratified by news source.

Results: A total of 127 articles were analyzed, split almost equally between print (n = 63) and online (n = 64) sources. The vast majority of articles were news articles/analyses (122; 96.1%). The most popular primary focus of articles were social/popular aspects of GLP-1 agonists (22; 17.3%), followed by basic medication information (20; 15.8%), harms of the medication (20; 15.8%), and benefits of the medication (17; 13.4%). Print sources were more likely to report on the cash price (55.6% Vs. 28.1%, P = 0.002), lack of insurance (61.9% Vs. 21.9%, P < 0.001), and cost-effectiveness (11.1% Vs. 1.6%, P = 0.027) of the medication compared to online sources.

Conclusion: Online/print news articles regarding semaglutide for weight loss provide a variety of information about the medication, commonly focusing on social aspects of treatment.