Ozempic is the brand name for a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Ozempic and its cousin Mounjaro (along with his Wegovy aimed at treating obesity) mimic a hormone called GLP-1 that effectively lowers blood sugar levels. But these drugs can also fine-tune hunger signals in the brain, making you feel full and generally disinterested in food. This is why these drugs have become so popular among people who are already slim.
What does it mean that drugs can drastically change your relationship with weight, health, and food? On Sunday’s episode of What Next: TBD, I Matthew Schneier, a feature writer for New York Magazine on the rise of Ozempic. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Lizzie O’Leary: Inn your storywrote about a medical conference when the precursors to these drugs were introduced. Doctors in the audience were amazed at how well they worked. please give me.
Matthew Schneier: I think it shows the incredible enthusiasm they have for these drugs and beyond. He said he was chief scientific officer and was at a scientific conference when the results of one of the predecessor GLP-1 drugs were announced. He said he was really excited about what these drugs could do. For cardiovascular health, it really felt like a game changer.From speaking with the medical community, these his GLP-1s are important advances in the treatment of diabetes and related diseases, including obesity and weight management. was.
When did they hit the market widely?
This is a complicated answer because there are many GLP-1s. Ozempic, he was approved in 2017 and began being prescribed around that time, with initial success. But as it penetrated the market, doctors and prescribers became more aware of it, and now certainly the wider public is more aware of it, it’s really wild. I’ve had a blast with methods. I’ve spoken to a number of people who work for medical analytics firms, and they say, “When a new drug comes to market or an indication expands, prescriptions and usage often increase.” I have been told. But one doctor I spoke to said, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” In this December he had 1.2 million prescriptions for the drug Ozempic alone. That’s a 64% increase from the previous December. It’s just one of those three drugs. Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, has seen a 58% increase in operating profit since 2017, when Ozempic first hit the market.
Maybe it seems obvious that weight-loss pills will become popular in the industry Thinness isn’t just an advantage, it’s often a requirementand where off-label prescriptions are readily available. When did Ozempic and his cousins take over Hollywood?
It happened slowly and all at once. Part of the story of this drug is that it has become a really big name brand in the sense that it has public recognition. It’s not that people immediately knew and asked by name since. They have essentially become jargon when thinking about things like Botox and Viagra.
Robert Gavey, Chief Scientific Officer of the American Diabetes Association, told me this was the first diabetes drug to go viral in the age of social media. and explode. The more it blows from coast to coast culturally, people in Hollywood realize it might be an option for them. Some of these celebrities have prescriptions, so it’s safe to assume that those numbers are properly reflected in their prescriptions, but some are getting them in other ways. There is no easy way to quantify it.
However, drugs are not cheap. How much do people pay for them?
If you’re getting Ozempic from your doctor, the regular price is about $900/month, but it depends on where you get it. Wegovy and Mounjaro tend to be a little higher, averaging $1,000 to $1,300 per month.
As weight loss drugs become more popular, there are many stories of diabetics unable to fill their prescriptions. What about diabetics who need these drugs but can’t get them?
This is a real concern, and there is anecdotal evidence that, at least in the last year, people who needed it had trouble getting it because of diabetes. and had some issues in the production chain. A company official said very clearly. I didn’t expect it to go so well. Had we known that, we might have built our supply chain differently. I have indeed spoken with a patient who told me, “I went from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for this drug.” Told. what do i do? “People cut their doses in half and stretched out. It’s hard to know if that was a direct result of people taking off the label in particular, but it was driven by both on and off.” I think it’s perfectly fair to say that it was a complete chain reaction of this drug’s incredible popularity.
Your story has stats that amaze me. 81% of prescriptions for these drugs are for women. On the one hand, women are constantly bombarded with messages that we’re not thin enough, and it’s depressing that these numbers mean we might be succumbing to that pressure. On the other hand, many people whose doctors recommended them to lose weight testify that after years of struggle, these drugs finally helped them lose weight. I feel freer, healthier and feel better about myself.
One of the important things to keep in mind is the drugs that people are using off label for reasons that are considered less than medical or cosmetic and at the same time have a really big impact on people’s health. It means that it is also a drug. People who may have suffered from these problems for years, if not lifetimes.About 81 percent stats [of people] Receipt of these medicines [being women] I was surprised too. Part of that is related because, generally speaking, women seek medical care more easily and more often than men. I think men also struggle with body image, but we know this is a problem that disproportionately affects women and girls.
Wegovy is approved for use in patients as young as 12 years old. The American Academy of Pediatrics revised its obesity treatment guidelines earlier this year, basically making it OK, if not outright, to use medications to combat obesity. It’s also kind of a collision course between this medicalized treatment and the messages we’re sending to young girls on social media, the media in general, and culture.
Many doctors are really excited about these drugs’ potential to treat obesity, which affects about 42% of Americans, according to the CDC. And obesity can lead to all sorts of negative health effects, including high blood pressure and heart disease. Were the doctors you spoke to frustrated by the Hollywood weight-loss dramas surrounding these drugs?
I would like to pay close attention. Again, I would like to emphasize that I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Doctors, especially endocrinologists and doctors who specialize in obesity, will tell you about the health risks associated with obesity and being overweight.
That is no Anyone who is overweight or obese is by definition unhealthy. Nor is anyone of normal or underweight healthy. Health is a matrix and there are myriad factors that influence all of this.
That said, broadly speaking, the potential for obesity-related medical problems (cardiovascular problems, diabetes problems, etc.) is real. It’s not specifically for weight loss, and I don’t think it’s an accidental side effect. If you’re a diabetic and need to control your blood sugar, it will be easier for you if your weight is under control.
One of the key issues is that these drugs have not been on the market long enough and have not been sufficiently tested in the non-diabetic population to know all their side effects.
Generally speaking, these drugs are well tolerated. That’s generally speaking. Almost all patients I have spoken to have had mild to severe side effects. Some of the most common include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Some people also mentioned fatigue. Some people also mentioned headaches. Whether the side effects are worth the benefit is a decision for every patient and physician at the time of their visit.
Another thing that comes up in your story is the secret and shame of taking these drugs. considered an act.
I think it’s double. First, I think there is an ethical ambiguity around people taking this drug off label. No one wants to brag about taking drugs. This idea that eating the “right” diet is painful and painful, and that there is some kind of moral benefit to losing weight that way, has persisted for a long time. I think some people feel or fear that injecting weight loss feels like a kind of unnecessary and unfair shortcut.
There is also something that feels very American or individualistic about these drugs as a sort of weight loss solution. It doesn’t help people get preventative care early in life. Injections available for purchase. I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know where it fits in that puzzle.
Diabetes in America affects tens of millions of people. This is a major problem, an important market and a huge opportunity for these pharmaceutical companies. So it’s very easy, and to some extent correct, to worry that this is the patch for the larger solution that you need, but for the people who see these drugs and need them, they don’t to provide appropriate and necessary services; And it should not be stigmatized when used properly within the care of a physician. shame.
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, NEDA Helpline is available online, Alternatively, text or call us at 1-800-931-2237.
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