Is semaglutide prescribing the reason bariatric surgeries are down?
Dr Vytauras Kuzinkovas says the cost of living, rather than availability of weight loss drugs, has impacted surgery numbers.
Bariatric surgery numbers have fallen to their lowest level since 2016, with doctors saying the drop could reflect the use of non-surgical options like semaglutide or the cost of living crisis.
The drop-off is twice as pronounced for revision procedures compared with primary procedures, in data from the Australia and New Zealand Bariatric Surgery Registry.
It identified 15,985 primary and 3614 revision procedures in 2023 based on MBS data, compared with 16,308 and 3914 respectively in 2022.
Bariatric surgeon Professor Wendy Brown, the registry’s clinical lead, says the drop in numbers could reflect use of pharmaceutical alternatives to surgery.
