This new class of weight loss drugs are costly - but is there a greater price to ignoring the problem?
Obesity is a complex chronic disease - and it's time we treated it as such.
If you have read the news, watched cable TV, rode the subway, or been on TikTok in the last six months, you’ve most certainly heard of weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic. These “GLP-1” drugs which stand for glucagon-like peptides, have been hailed by celebrities and weight loss influencers as modern medical miracles and as the ultimate solution to our massive obesity epidemic. The message seems to be reaching its audience: one recent survey showed 3 in 10 Americans are interested in trying a GLP-1. (To be technically accurate here, Mounjaro is the first-of-its-kind to activate both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which leads to improved blood sugar control.)
It is true that this class of drugs — which are also used to treat type 2 diabetes and other weight-related conditions, versus purely cosmetic weight loss — show promising efficacy, delivering 15% average weight loss at one year with a decent safety profile. Though a list of side-effects is also well documented.
How they work