Jump the Shark Moment for Weight-Loss Drugs?
If you knew nothing else...
At this risk of one post too many today…
I was driving a bit ago and heard an ad on Sirius that I hadn’t heard before. It was a “special offer” for GLP1 weight-loss drugs, with somebody chatting about fitting into “those tight jeans again.”
When I got home I looked up the website, LifeMD, and saw “start now & dave 50%” and thought: Could this be the “jump the shark” moment in GLP1 weight-loss drugs?
Then more images started rotating onto the screen, like this…
And this…
Like they’re a new diet. But these are drugs!
And I’m guessing that Oprah, who has recently been chatting about how well she has done on them, doesn’t buy hers through an online website that includes a “weight-loss money-back guarantee.”
Neither, I suspect, do most people…
And it’s only a hunch, but I’m also guessing that this is not something Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly, which make these drugs, are thrilled to see.
Potential is Real
Before we go further, a quick disclosure: I’ve written plenty on these drugs, citing both the opportunity and challenges. At my old gig, I recommended Novo Nordisk in September 2022 in large part because of the weight-loss tail on Ozempic and the rest…
The stock has since doubled, and for good reason: The demand and potential for these drugs are very real, even beyond weight loss… and they very well could be game changers they’re cracked up to be, especially as new iterations of the drug make it to market.
Still, as a story in Medscape noted a few weeks ago…
Guidelines for using these new medications are still scarce.
And insurers aren’t reimbursing for weight loss… and if and when they do, it won’t be smust o you can fit into those tight jeans.
Hype Meets Reality
What’s more, while these drugs work for many people, there are some who can’t tolerate them, thanks to some fairly profound and common side effects.
There’s also the a growing realization that for whatever reasons, most people stop taking them within the first year. And when they do, the weight returns… fast.
Not to worry, because you can now get these drugs “prescribed online and delivered,” with a money-back guarantee, to boot.
This fits into a category I call, “If you knew nothing else…”
And in this case, the if you knew nothing else you might start thinking that a problem is brewing for the new wave of weight-loss drugs as hype and reality collide.
Interpret at will…
Have thoughts? Feel free to comment below. And don’t hesitate to hit the heart button.
DISCLAIMER: This is solely my opinion based on my observations and interpretations of events, based on published facts and filings, and should not be construed as personal investment advice. (Because it isn’t!)
Feel free to contact me at herbgreenberg@substack.com. You can follow me on Threads @herbgreenberg.
Simply fantastic as always. Thank you for the even-handed appraisal of a controversial and so-far-effective-but-anything-but-certain medication!!!
Thank you for sharing. I believe we are seeing the first chapters of a long book waiting to be written.