Rana Foroohar’s recent article “Behold the Ozempic effect on business” (Opinion, November 20) highlights the dizzying excitement surrounding the latest generation of Type 2 diabetes and weight loss drugs.
Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, have incredible potential. Other pharmaceutical companies are also racing to develop candidates, such as Pfizer with its late-stage oral GLP-1-RA Danuglipron.
These drugs are on a trajectory to become the blockbusters of all blockbusters.
There are several reasons for this. First, there are over 500mn adults living with diabetes worldwide, or roughly one in 10 across our planet. The prevalence of diabetes is expected to approach 650mn by 2030. Second, the global obesity epidemic is staggering, with more than half the world projected to be obese by 2035. Third, a shift to oral administration from injectables looks certain to propel these drugs deep into the mainstream of our culture.
Together these factors have the potential to literally reshape our world. We know airline executives are already talking about passengers that may soon weigh less and clothing manufacturers are gearing up for slimmer shoppers. However, without meaningful changes to western lifestyle choices, the truth is our future will be less healthy despite the promise of these drugs.
We are treating the effects, not the root cause. We need a sober new perspective on these drugs and how they will impact other healthcare sectors, as well as different industries.
Lee Brown
Global Sector Lead for Healthcare Research, Third Bridge
New York, NY, US
This post was originally published on Financial Times
