Drugmaker shames weight loss drug craze
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has, ahem, weighed in on Hollywood’s obsession with Ozempic.
In a commercial released Thursday, the company criticized people who prescribe or take weight loss drugs without an obesity diagnosis.
The ad appeared days before the 96th Academy Awards, an epic Hollywood gathering where people tend to be laser-focused on celebrities and their bodies.
The ad opens with a shot of a glittery gold dress, a man rolling out the red carpet and a voice saying, “Some people have been using medicine never meant for them for the smaller dress or tux, for a big night.”
Eli Lilly makes tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Zepbound, which was approved in November to treat people with obesity. Most people recognize the competing drug semaglutide by its brand name, Ozempic, which is made for patients with diabetes and manufactured by Novo Nordisk. The company also sells the medication at a higher dose, under the name Wegovy, to treat obesity.
James Zervios, vice president and chief of staff for the Obesity Action Coalition, applauded Lilly for speaking up about misuse of the drug, but said the spot doesn’t address the glaring challenges average Americans with obesity face in accessing these expensive drugs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says obesity affects about 42% of adults in the U.S. These medications are priced at more than $1,000 for a month’s supply and are covered by only one-quarter of insurance companies. The drugs are not covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks’ solution is to push for insurance coverage. Zervios says pharmaceutical companies should make the medications more affordable. The coalition receives funding from both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
In addition, high demand has led to drug shortages, making weight loss medications like tirzepatide and semaglutide hard to find for the average patient. Ricks said there was no quick solution to supply issues but expects the problem will ease over time.
Eli Lilly also released a second ad, in black and white, that touched on the stigma of weight. It is part of a campaign to connect with patients, Ricks said in an exclusive interview.
But others saw the commercial as a reappropriation of language used by fat activists and the body liberation movement to market a weight loss drug.
“It feels sneaky to me,” said Tigress Osborn, director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. While Ricks says the new ads are meant to address and reduce weight stigma, Osborn says they exacerbate it by promoting a drug that shrinks bodies.
While the American Medical Association recognized obesity as a disease in 2013, many body positivity activists and organizations like NAAFA argue that excess weight by itself doesn’t cause health issues. For decades, Osborn said, organizations like hers have spread awareness about the weight bias in medical offices that deters patients from seeking care, leading to worse health outcomes.
Contributing: The Associated Press.