health
Study: One in five French adults considering anti-obesity medication
Risk of black market trade as 41% of those interested would consider acquiring drugs illicitly
Nearly one in five people in France are now considering using anti-obesity medication, as weight-loss drugs become increasingly popular in France.
The study by the French polling organisation Ifop* saw 18% of respondents – 20% of women and 16% of men - say they would be interested in using weight-loss medication such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. It is the first major study of its type to assess attitudes to weight-loss drugs across France.
“Despite a marked difference in the use of these medications between the United States and France, the pool of potential users remains similar,” said François Kraus, a director at Ifop.
“This potential user base is growing from an unexpected source: it is not primarily among individuals with clinical obesity… but rather among those who simply perceive themselves as being too heavy,” Mr Kraus added.
This has also led to concerns that a thriving black market trade for weight-loss drugs could penetrate France, with those who would otherwise be refused the drug looking for ways to access it.
Weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic have grown popular in recent years. They are a class of drug that works by imitating the effect of GLP-1, a natural hormone the body produces after eating.
Medications using GLP-1-based drugs to treat obesity have been available in France since late 2024, and since June 2026 have been available for partial reimbursement in certain cases.
However, there have been increasing warnings over side-effects to the medication if used incorrectly, particularly by people who have not been prescribed the medicine but acquired it online or abroad.
Millions of adults open to trying drug
Compared to the US, weight-loss drug use in France remains in its infancy. Only 4% of adults have taken such medication (compared to 15% in the US), with only 2% currently doing so (compared to 11% in the US).
However, the desire to take the drug is comparable to current levels in the United States, particularly among younger people. In France, up to 10% of men under the age of 35 have taken a weight-loss drug.
If the results of the study are expanded to a national scale, around 10 million adults in France would be open to using weight-loss drugs.
The study saw that desire to take the drug was linked to several factors, including weight and social media.
Among women, 23% of those who are overweight and 40% of those considered obese said they would be interested in the drug, compared to only 6% of men and women considered underweight.
In addition, 44% of women who consume beauty-related social media content on a daily basis would consider taking the drug, compared to 17% who see it less often.
Black market risk
Worryingly, among those interested in taking the drugs, over 40% would consider doing so without an official prescription. This increased to 55% for those aged 18 to 34.
Nationally, this means around four million adults would consider using such drugs acquired through non-conventional means, such as online orders from abroad, obtained by family or friends, or even through the black market.
This was seen more strongly in people who would not typically be offered the drug.
While only 38% of obese women would consider illicit measures to obtain the drugs, up to 85% of women considered thin would.
Weight-loss drugs are only available by prescription in France and require strict rules criteria to be met. Doctors can prescribe the drugs even without partial reimbursement from Assurance Maladie, but the medicine cannot be obtained without an official prescription.
“The results of our study are particularly worrying: GLP-1 analogues are medications intended for individuals living with obesity—they are not weight-loss products,” said Quentin Molinié of Darwin Nutrition, the news site that commissioned the study.
“Using them without medical supervision can lead to nutritional deficiencies, a loss of muscle mass, an almost inevitable regain of weight once use is stopped, and, at times, particularly serious health problems. Except in cases of obesity or being overweight with comorbidities, sustainable weight loss should primarily be achieved through a rebalancing of one’s diet and regular physical activity.”
*Ifop study for Darwin Nutrition, conducted via an online self-administered questionnaire from May 17 to 21, 2026, with a sample of 3,004 individuals representative of the French population aged 18 and older
