America’s Ozempic capital is not in NYC or LA but this ‘redneck’ Southern city
One of Kentucky’s cities has become the largest Ozempic hotspot in the US, despite being branded as a Hollywood weight loss wonder.
Bowling Green, just an hour north of Nashville, Tennessee, has seen the highest prescription rates in the nation for the diabetes treatment, which has turned into a method to shed unwanted weight, Bloomberg reported.
Its use totals 4% of all city residents — about 3% higher than rates in major metropolitan areas like Brooklyn and Miami. Census data shows that Bowling Green’s population is just over 72,000 with a median household income of about $46,000.
“We’re redneck enough to be fat, but smart enough to do something about it,” retired teacher Mary Sansom told the outlet.
The data also highlights that as a state, Kentucky depends heavily on Ozempic and its counterparts like Wegovy or Zepbound. It was reported that nearly 1 in 15 — 6.8% of the total population — are prescribed to one of them.
“Ozempic and Wegovy, that’s all I hear,” Brianna Tooley, a Walgreens pharmacist in Bowling Green added.
The push to curb their obesity problem, or “do something about it” as Sansom said, is causing other issues too as quick-fix imitators continuously emerge in a ravenous market. Pharmacies have also started releasing similar products.
A 25-year-old GNC store manager in the area, Candace Sims, recalled that her son took a generic supplement meant to calm his stomach and got sick for weeks afterward.
“He just wanted to try it, because all his friends were doing it,” she said.
Medical spas and weight loss clinics have also entered the competitive healthcare scene by writing prescriptions for the drugs.
Resident Marie Ellis, who shed 80 pounds on the similar drug Mounjaro after skepticism it was meant only for “Hollywood” folks while still weighing 265 pounds, has joined a spa that sells cheaper alternatives to her prescription.
And, just like a posh club in Tinseltown, “you just can’t get in there now. It’s nearly impossible” due to volume, she said.
“If you went over tomorrow at 8 a.m., or even before, you won’t find any parking spots.”
