Is Ozempic Better Than Weight Loss Surgery?

GLP-1 drugs are the hot new kid on the weight loss scene, and for good reason. They appear to help people shed pounds by suppressing appetites and managing caloric intake.

However, a new real-world study presented at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s 2025 scientific meeting has revealed a significant gap between the hype surrounding GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic and their actual results.

Researchers at NYU Langone Health and NYC Health + Hospitals reviewed data from over 51,000 patients between 2018 and 2024. They found something kind of surprising, given how popular GLP-1 drugs have become: Bariatric surgery isn’t just a better option, it’s mopping the floor with GLP-1 drugs.

Patients who underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy lost about five times more weight than those sticking to weekly injections of GLP-1 drugs. On average, that’s a 24 percent body weight drop over three years post-surgery, compared to a measly 5–7 percent for those on the drugs.

And that’s assuming they even stayed on them, which most don’t. Nearly 70 percent of GLP-1 patients bail within a year, usually thanks to side effects, cost, or just plain burnout.

Is Ozempic More Effective Than Weight Loss Surgery?

Dr. Avery Brown, the study’s lead author, summed it up: real-world weight loss on GLP-1s isn’t measuring up to the 15–21 percent seen in clinical trials.

The research was based on records of 38,545 patients who were prescribed injectable GLP-1 drugs and 12,540 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, both during the period between 2018 and 2024.

Since surgery is terrifying to most people, only 1 percent of Americans eligible for bariatric surgery are actually getting it, according to the ASMBS. So it may not necessarily be a battle between a more effective surgery versus a less effective shot. It’s more of a battle between the fear of going under the knife at all with its scary complications versus a miracle drug that will melt pounds while you scroll TikTok.