Drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound have been hailed as miracle treatments. But one in 10 people are what scientists call “non-responders.”

When Jessica Layeux, a cybersecurity expert from Monticello, Minn., started taking the weight-loss drug Zepbound last year, she didn’t have any of the side effects she had heard about. She didn’t feel much of a change in her hunger or cravings either.

At first, Ms. Layeux, 42, was optimistic that she would see results as she moved to a higher dose. But as the months went on with almost no weight loss, Ms. Layeux started to blame herself. She began obsessing over whether she was storing the drug at the right temperature or injecting it into the right place. At doctors’ appointments, she would rush to share that she was eating healthy and exercising, so that her provider wouldn’t think it was her fault.

Over 15 months on Zepbound, Ms. Layeux lost only a pound or two. “No matter what I do, these ‘miracle drugs’ don’t work,” she said.
GLP-1 drugs like Zepbound have helped millions of people shed significant weight. But then there are the often-overlooked outliers: In clinical trials, about one in 10 people on the drugs were “non-responders,” losing less than 5 percent of their body weight, compared with the average of 15 to 21 percent. With so much attention on the benefits of these drugs, the experiences of non-responders are often overlooked.