OXFORD has been revealed as the least interested in the use of weight loss medication, new research has found. 

The research conducted by Simple Online Pharmacy determined which UK areas are most likely to show interest in newly available weight loss medications.

This comes as interest in weight loss medications has soared globally over the past couple of years, driven by the recent surge in demand for drugs like Ozempic, part of the semaglutide class, despite a significant supply shortage.

The World Health Organization has highlighted this trend, noting that the increased interest in these drugs, particularly due to their appetite-suppressing effects, has outpaced supply, leading to concerns about the availability and potential falsification of these medications.

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This trend has been further amplified by the recent Ozempic phenomenon, where celebrities and social media influencers have popularized the drug.

The resulting surge in interest has made Ozempic the most searched-for weight loss drug across the UK.

Using Google Keyword Planner, they looked at the average number of monthly searches for weight loss medication-related terms, such as ‘weight loss medication cost’ and ‘weight loss drugs’, alongside names of various weight loss medications, such as ‘Wegovy’, ‘Mounjaro’ and ‘Saxenda’. 

There has been a recent surge in demand for Ozempic (Image: Alamy/PA)

The total number of searches were compared to local population sizes in UK towns and cities to find the areas most interested in the use of weight loss medications. 

Oxford was identified as the UK area least interested in the use of weight loss medication, with just 270 monthly searches per 100,000 people.

In total, Oxford had an average of 438 searches per month. 

On the other end of the spectrum, the area found to be the most interested in weight loss medications was Bolton, with 2,159 monthly searches per 100,000 people for weight loss drugs and related terms.

In second was Croydon, which generated an average of 1,706 monthly searches per 100,000 people.

In total, Croydon had a monthly average of 2,958 for searches relating to weight loss medication. 

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Ranking third was Doncaster, which had a monthly average of 1,620 searches per 100,000 people. 

Other locations that completed the top ten were Lincoln (1,473 searches per 100,000 people), Stockport (1,422 searches per 100,000 people), Salford (1,260 searches per 100,000 people), Huddersfield (1,231 searches per 100,000 people) and Peterborough (1,217 searches per 100,000 people). 

Commenting on the findings, Addy Mohammed, CEO of Simple Online Pharmacy, said: “The recent increase in weight loss searchers has undoubtedly led to a huge increase in interest for weight loss medications over the past year, with people moving to see if they are eligible for weight loss medications available on the NHS.”