Weight-loss jab could be made for $3 a month, study finds (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 day ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org

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Weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy could be made for just $3 a month, according to new analysis, potentially making the treatment available to millions in poorer countries as patents expire.

More than a billion people live with obesity worldwide, with rates rising fast in lower-income nations as they shift to westernised diets and more sedentary lifestyles.

The World Health Organization designated semaglutide – sold to treat obesity under the brand name Wegovy, and diabetes under the brand name Ozempic – as an essential medicine in September last year.

But global health leaders warned at the time that high prices were limiting access.

New research, published as a pre-print, suggests that semaglutide could be mass produced for $3 (about £2.35) for a monthly dose in its injectable form.

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[-] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

I'm not sure how I think and feel about the drug. I'm very happy for people that can get a handle on their bodies and diets. That is really pleasing. Even people I don't like when I see them losing mass as a result of its use I'm happy for them as individuals.

But it makes me think of it is as at type of recreational drug use. And that moral quandary of quantifying when drug use is transgressive and when it is not when the goal is chemically altered happiness.

[-] TehPers@beehaw.org 8 points 1 day ago

But it makes me think of it is as at type of recreational drug use. And that moral quandary of quantifying when drug use is transgressive and when it is not when the goal is chemically altered happiness.

I think this is a good point. For many people who take it, the goal is not to address a physical health concern (those people can address it through exercise which they still need while taking these medications), but to make themselves happy by making it easier to lose weight that they believe is excess.

Now I'm of the opinion that their self-image being so negative is more of a mental health problem (and I'm specifically not referring to people who are extremely obese, diabetic, etc here), but regardless, it's not my place to prescribe them a treatment for their own issues. If these medications make them happy, then whatever.

The issue we have today is an issue of scarcity. Ozempic is expensive as fuck and isn't accessible to the people who need it. For example, my sister in law is morbidly obese and has physical and genetic disorders that lead to a drug like this being lifesaving to her. She can't really afford it even with insurance, but it's not really a choice.

One thing to keep in mind though is side effects. These drugs aren't all sunshine and rainbows. There are risks associated with them. For people who need them, the benefits usually outweigh the risks, but for "recreational" use, those risks should naturally be taken into consideration by whoever's taking the drug.