The head of the Danish College of General Practitioners says too many patients are prescribed the weight loss drug Wegovy, after a new Aarhus University study found that 49 percent of users stop within a year.
Maria Krüger, chair of Dansk Selskab for Almen Medicin, made the comments in an interview published by DR on August 29, 2026. She said general practitioners can get better at explaining the effects and side effects of the medication to patients.
The interview followed a new study from Aarhus University. According to DR, the study found that 49 percent of Wegovy users stop taking the drug before a year has passed. The findings raised the question of whether doctors explain clearly enough that lost weight can return after treatment ends.
Reimar W. Thomsen, one of the researchers behind the study, told DR that many patients have not discussed the length of treatment with their doctor. He said many assume the treatment only needs to last a few months.
Per Thomsen, current knowledge indicates that the treatment should be taken for a long time if weight is to stay down, possibly for life. He said many patients have not talked this through with their doctor before starting.
Krüger said she recognizes the pattern of patients stopping sooner than is advisable. She said expectations of the drug have been high in the three years since Wegovy reached the Danish market, and that many patients view it as a kickstart.
She also acknowledged that doctors do not always manage to change that impression. According to Krüger, it can be difficult to convince patients that weight returns when the medication stops.
Prescriptions and other routes
Krüger said she personally believes general practitioners write too many prescriptions for Wegovy. She said she sees many patients receiving it who are not severely overweight and who do not have significant health risks.
Looking at how many Danes are prescribed weight loss medication, she said the overall level of prescribing is far too high. She made the assessment as a practicing doctor in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen.
Krüger added that patients will find other routes to the drug if general practitioners decline to prescribe it. She pointed to online clinics, ordering over the internet, and the black market.
For that reason, she said she prefers to act as the coordinator of the treatment. In that role, she said, she can help and support the patient through the course of the medication.
DR reported the study findings in a separate article, in which the researchers described the share of patients stopping treatment as concerning. Wegovy is produced by Novo Nordisk, including at the company’s facility in Måløv.
