The age of Ozempic

Exploring the multibillion-dollar weight-loss market. [View in browser]( | [Your newsletter preferences]( 08.14.24 Your spam filter is full of it. Your favorite rapper is rapping about it. We're witnessing the dawn of the age of Ozempic—probably the most culturally pervasive pharmaceutical since the little blue pill. That drug, semaglutide—sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand name Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for treating type 2 diabetes—is just the beginning. Another more effective weight-loss medication, Eli Lilly's Zepbound, is already available. Meanwhile, a whole host of other pharma companies are racing to capture a part of the exploding, multibillion-dollar weight-loss market with their own products. The [next wave of drugs]( will push for even more weight loss (Zepbound, in trials, saw patients lose more than 20 percent of body weight), greater convenience (perhaps by being taken orally daily rather than injected weekly), and fewer side effects. These drugs will also, companies hope, offer a solution to those who [don't lose much weight]( on the existing crop of medicines. Riding on the coattails of this wave are supplements businesses, which are also [cashing in]( by offering complementary products that they say can help with side effects—or that can actually lead to weight loss themselves. Experts, though, are skeptical. More promising is the ongoing research into what else weight-loss drugs might help with. Evidence is steadily growing that they promote good cardiovascular and organ health, and they're being investigated as treatments for addiction, Parkinson's, and other diseases. It's possible that what we now think of as weight-loss drugs will evolve into being broader ["health promotion" medicines](, WIRED biotech writer Emily Mullin reports. That, though, will require people to be able to access them, and right now there is a yawning gap between supply and demand. Because of their huge popularity, Novo Nordisk's and Eli Lilly's drugs are in shortage, and in the United States, this means pharmacies are able to compound their own off-brand versions of the medicines. As WIRED senior writer Kate Knibbs has found, many telehealth companies now are [selling these copies online with minimal checks]( to see whether buyers meet the requirements for a prescription. Where there's money to be made, systems will quickly appear to exploit it, and so WIRED will be following the development of the sector closely. Keep an eye on [WIRED.com/Science]( throughout the year to see where else this journey takes us. [Portrait of Rob Reddick] [Rob Reddick](, Science Editor   [Image may contain: Art, Collage, Person, Purple, and Baby]( [The Race for the Next Ozempic]( [BY EMILY MULLIN | 5-MINUTE READ]( [The next wave of obesity drugs could help people lose even more weight—and make some pharma companies a fortune.](   [Image may contain: Person, Scale, and Pen]( [Not Everyone Loses Weight on Ozempic]( [BY EMILY MULLIN | 5-MINUTE READ]( [For many patients, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy lead to substantial weight loss. But some see much less benefit, and researchers are trying to figure out why.](   [Image may contain: Adult, Person, Back, Body Part, Art, and Collage]( [Supplements Companies Are Cashing In on the Ozempic Wave]( [BY KATE KNIBBS | 6-MINUTE READ]( [Everyone wants to get in on the Ozempic craze—including the supplement industry. Some products are meant to complement weight-loss drugs. Others are positioned as “natural” alternatives.](   [Image may contain: Clothing, Glove, Art, and Collage]( [The Benefits of Ozempic Are Multiplying]( [BY EMILY MULLIN | 5-MINUTE READ]( [There’s mounting evidence that GLP-1 drugs have health benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss, for conditions ranging from addiction to Parkinson’s—and scientists are evolving theories of why.](   [Image may contain: Electronics, Mobile Phone, and Phone]( [It’s Shockingly Easy to Buy Off-Brand Ozempic Online, Even if You Don’t Need It]( [BY KATE KNIBBS | 10-MINUTE READ]( [Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are in shortage, and telehealth startups are selling “compounded” versions. A WIRED investigation looks at how easy it is to order these meds online.](   ADVERTISEMENT [GET WIRED]( [The future is happening fast. Stay ahead of it with WIRED. Get full tech coverage with a subscription to WIRED for just $30 $5. Plus free stickers!]( [Subscribe Now.](   [WIRED logo image]( Thanks for reading. 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