Population-Level Interest in Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists for Weight Loss Using Google Trends Statistics in a 12-Month Retrospective Analysis: An Infodemiology and Infoveillance Study

Obesity is an exacerbated public health challenge, increasing the risk of several diseases and mortality while deteriorating the quality of life. There is significant dedication to exploring obesity therapies using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, which have shown efficacy in reducing the number of deaths and complications associated with type 2 diabetes. This research aimed to examine the recent search popularity of GLP-1 agonists using Google Trends at both national (in Iraq) and global levels. To quantify relative search volume (RSV), the total search query activity has been transformed to a percentage scale ranging from 0% to 100%. The word "Ozempic" was chosen because of its extensive coverage in social media and web/print publications pertaining to this subject matter. A comparative search was performed targeting the phrases "Wegovy," "Saxenda," and "Mounjaro" to identify a novel combination GLP-1 agonist from August 2023 to August 2024. The present study demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the RSV among the four drugs (P < 0.0001) nationally and globally. In Iraq, the highest RSV for Ozempic was documented in Duhok, followed by Sulaymaniyah and Erbil. A comparable RSV profile has been noted for Saxenda, while substantial interest in Wegovy is seen in Ninawa. Meanwhile, globally, the highest RSV for Ozempic was recorded in Canada, the United States of America, and Australia. A distinct RSV profile has been observed for Saxenda, with heightened search interest recorded in Latin America, Poland, Sweden, and Australia. By contrast, Mounjaro received search interest primarily in Greenland and the United States, while Mounjaro search interest was noted in Canada, the United States, and Australia. This study demonstrates a significant and growing public interest in GLP-1 agonists, namely, Ozempic, Saxenda, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. As the use of GLP-1 agonists for weight loss becomes more common, more knowledge, understanding, and continuous scientific research will make it more convenient to obtain the best patient outcomes.