- Off-label Ozempic, a diabetes drug that also helps users lose weight, is being sold at med spas across the U.S.
- The active ingredient, semaglutide, is being obtained from compounding pharmacies, which mix and combine active ingredients to create custom formulations.
- Rich, connected people can get a prescription for Ozempic and Wegovy, its higher dose form, but it’s not cheap.
- The drug has become the “magic bullet” for getting skinny, with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian rumored to have used it.
- Off-brand semaglutide, which is not FDA-approved and is of unknown origin, is being peddled by medical spas and telehealth clinics for about $300-$600/month.
- Using off-brand semaglutide comes with a number of drawbacks, such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, as well as the possibility of developing thyroid cancer.
- The FDA has approved Wegovy for kids aged 12 and up, but there has been limited research on its effects on them.
- New England Journal of Medicine had a pool of only about 200 participants, confirming the limited effectiveness of Wegovy for kids.
- Calley Means, a healthcare entrepreneur, suggests the government invest in revamping school lunches to target the source of all obesity: diet.
- The New York Times and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describe childhood obesity as “complicated” and impacted by “social determinants of health.”
- The UK’s National Health Service states more clearly that “Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little.”
- Body positivity messages have been around for years, but many of the loudest advocates lost weight when Ozempic came out.
- Emily, a stay-at-home mom in Eastern Ohio, was 5 feet 5 and 189 pounds the day her doctor handed her semaglutide.
- Kate Barone, an Atlanta salon owner, is itching to get back on semaglutide, saying “Everyone around me is getting skinnier.”
Published February 16, 2023
Visit The Free Press to read Olivia Reingold’s original post The Booming Market for Backdoor Ozempic
