Anti-Obesity Drugs Linked to Slightly Higher Risk of Hair Loss

Patients taking GLP-1 drugs for obesity or diabetes face a higher risk of hair loss than those using other diabetes medications, although the side effect remains rare, new studies suggest.

Research from the University of Pennsylvania published in The BMJ found that two or more years after treatment began, the odds of a new alopecia diagnosis were 37% higher than among users of SGLT-2 drugs and 68% higher than among those taking DPP-4 inhibitors.

Actual rates remained low, at roughly three to nine cases per 1,000 patients a year.

A separate study involving more than one million participants worldwide found significantly higher risks of various forms of alopecia among GLP-1 users than among patients taking metformin.

A third study suggested that the risk may be greater with tirzepatide than with semaglutide. New-onset alopecia occurred in 4.24% of patients taking tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro, compared with 3.33% of those using semaglutide, sold as Wegovy and Ozempic.

All three studies noted that hair loss often accompanies weight loss and is usually reversible. In the third study, however, the higher risk associated with tirzepatide did not vary according to the amount of weight lost or the dosage received, suggesting that weight loss alone may not explain the difference.

Alopecia was also more common among patients with thyroid disease or other endocrine disorders, indicating that hormonal, autoimmune or dermatological factors may also play a role.

(Reuters, bak)