GLP-1 drugs have changed the lives of Americans and others across the world, in ways both expected and unexpected.
Originally used to help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels, GLP-1 drugs have achieved a widespread level of popularity and notoriety as weight-loss medicines over the past half-decade. The drugs, which include brands like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound, essentially mimic gut hormones to function as appetite suppressants.
Roughly 20 million to 25 million patients worldwide could be taking a GLP-1 manufactured by one of those two companies, Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks estimated during a Feb. 4 interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Among Americans, 18% of adults say they’ve taken a GLP-1 drug at some point, and 12% say they’re currently taking one, according to a KFF Health Tracking Poll published on Nov. 14.
The drugs have brought with them a host of unexpected byproducts for users’ daily lives. By and large, users are seeing their weight drop. Some say they find themselves drinking less alcohol, spending less on groceries or no longer craving junk foods — or much food at all.
Others have reported more unglamorous side effects like gastrointestinal distress, shrinking muscle mass and sagging skin from the weight loss. GLP-1s typically have a list price of more than $1,000 per dose, and while those prices can drop significantly under some health insurance plans, coverage can be inconsistent across insurers. Some users report rapid weight gain after stopping GLP-1s — a concern that researchers have raised in recent studies — and the drugs’ longer-term side effects aren’t particularly well-studied yet, some doctors say.
