A VA Clinic Gave Veterans GLP-1s For Weight Loss. A Year Later, Everything Improved

Researchers on the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, tracked 201 veterans prescribed semaglutide, the drug offered underneath the model names Ozempic and Wegovy, within the facility’s weight administration clinic. After one yr, these veterans averaged 10% physique weight reduction and confirmed measurable enhancements in physique mass index (BMI), blood stress, LDL ldl cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar. They additionally reported enhancements of their total high quality of life.

The research, printed within the Journal of General Internal Medicine, is the primary to look at semaglutide’s effectiveness particularly in a Department of Veterans Affairs weight administration program relatively than in a pharmaceutical firm’s scientific trial.

Why It Matters for Veterans

Obesity charges amongst veterans are considerably greater than the overall inhabitants. VA knowledge has constantly proven that roughly 40% of veterans enrolled in VA well being care are overweight, with the best charges amongst post-9/11 veterans. Obesity is a driver of heart problems, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, joint deterioration and a variety of situations that many veterans are already managing alongside service-connected disabilities.

For veterans rated for situations equivalent to knee accidents, again ache or PTSD-related sleep disruption, extra weight compounds signs and limits mobility. Weight loss on the 10% stage that the research documented is clinically significant. It is the edge at which physicians usually see reductions in blood stress treatment wants, improved blood sugar management and decreased cardiovascular threat.

What makes this research beneficial is that it displays real-world VA scientific situations, not a managed pharmaceutical trial. The 201 veterans have been prescribed semaglutide particularly for weight reduction relatively than for diabetes or different medical situations. They have been additionally enrolled in dietary counseling and a weight-loss program that included train and bodily well being practices via the VA’s “Move!” program or equal. The outcomes present that the drug works in a VA setting, with VA sufferers, underneath VA scientific protocols.

The Bigger GLP-1 Picture on the VA

This research is a part of a rising physique of VA-funded analysis on GLP-1 receptor agonists that’s altering how the VA thinks about these medication. Earlier this yr, a separate VA St. Louis research of 606,000 veterans discovered that GLP-1 medication diminished the chance of growing substance use problems throughout each main addictive substance, together with alcohol, opioids, nicotine, cocaine and hashish. That research additionally discovered a 25% discount in suicidal ideation amongst veterans taking GLP-1 medicines.

A bigger VA treatment use analysis throughout 37 VA medical facilities discovered that semaglutide was among the many most ceaselessly prescribed weight administration medicines within the VA system and that veterans who mixed treatment with the VA’s “Move!” behavioral weight administration program achieved greater charges of clinically important weight reduction than these on treatment alone.

A separate research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, additionally utilizing VA knowledge from 21,790 veterans, in contrast the cardiovascular and kidney security profiles of three totally different GLP-1 medication: liraglutide, semaglutide and dulaglutide. Published in JAMA Network Open, the research discovered that each one three have been comparably secure, with the lead researcher noting that the VA well being system is a “treasure trove” of knowledge for evaluating medicines in real-world populations.

Access and Coverage

Semaglutide is obtainable via the VA however is classed as non-formulary with standards for use, which means it requires prior authorization and is mostly prescribed after first-line choices have been thought of. The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act approved Tricare to cowl weight reduction medication for treating weight problems when prescribed by a community supplier and built-in right into a complete remedy plan, a major enlargement. The Trump administration introduced in April 2025 that Medicare wouldn’t cowl GLP-1 medication for weight reduction, reversing a Biden-era resolution. That doesn’t instantly have an effect on VA protection, which operates underneath its personal formulary, however the broader entry debate continues to form how rapidly these medication attain the veteran inhabitants.

Veterans fascinated by semaglutide for weight reduction ought to speak to their VA main care supplier or ask for a referral to their facility’s “Move!” weight administration program. The Aurora research demonstrates that the drug works greatest when mixed with the behavioral and dietary assist the VA already offers.

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