Selling faster than hotcakes: GLP-1 medications are flying off pharmacy shelves, and at fancy prices. Total spending in the U.S. for these drugs in 2023 (the latest year I found data for) was $71,700,000,000 (yes, 71.7 billion. See here.). Sales have been growing steadily. In 2018, total U.S. sales of GLP-1 drugs were $13.7 billion. Sales increased more than 500% over that five-year span! I’ve written about health costs here earlier this year (See here), and medications represent a substantial segment of those costs.

Could advertising have helped boost those sales? Have you ever heard of Ozempic, or Wegovy? Have you ever seen some well fleshed citizens marching happily across your TV screen, their numbers growing as they go?

Here’s a brief background of those phenomenally effective medications. A new hormone was discovered in the intestine in 1986. It was similar in structure to glucagon, the hormone secreted by the pancreas when our blood glucose gets low. (Glucagon acts on the liver and effectively raises blood glucose to prevent hypoglycemia.) Because the newly-discovered intestinal hormone was a peptide similar in structure to glucagon, it was called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1.

There is one important difference between these two peptides: glucagon raises blood glucose levels. In contrast, GLP-1, by stimulating the release of insulin, lowers blood glucose. This effect immediately suggested that chemical agonists similar to GLP-1 could be effective drugs to treat type 2 diabetes. The first such GLP-1 agonist was approved by the FDA in 2005. Today, by my count, there are 13 such drugs available in this country.

Although GLP-1 drugs have been remarkably effective in treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, as essentially all medications do, they also have their side effects. They reduce appetite (a positive for those seeking weight loss). They may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting , diarrhea, or occasional constipation. Also, because many of these drugs are given by injection, there may be pain and swelling at the site of injection. A succinct summary of GLP-1 medications, their therapeutic value, and possible side effects is available here.

These selling faster than hotcakes GLP-1 medications are likely to increase their sales in the future. Type 2 diabetes and obesity are increasing throughout the world. And these drugs soon may be employed to treat other conditions. Clinical trials reportedly are in progress to study their possible therapeutic effects on such illnesses as peripheral vascular disease, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, substance abuse, metabolic liver disease, arthritis, and hypertension. Imagine how the sale of these wonder drugs would soar if any are shown to be effective in treating additional morbidities.