Some people have been using medicine never meant for them,
for the smaller dress or tux taking aim at Hollywood's
apparent embrace of weight loss drugs.
Eli Lilly's new ad campaign Big Night,
suggesting those who use the medications for vanity are standing
in the way of people who really need them.
People whose health is affected by obesity are the reason
we work on these medications.
It matters who gets them.
The maker of Manjaro and Zephound writing diabetes and anti
obesity medications.
Were not studied for, are not approved for,
and should not be used for cosmetic weight loss.
I think it's quite unusual for a pharmaceutical company to
come out with an ad like this,
where they're essentially discouraging, you know,
certain parts of the population from asking for this drug.
The prevalence of the medications in Hollywood has become an
open secret.
Jimmy Kimmel joking about it at last year's Oscars.
Everybody looks so great. When I look around this room,
I can't help but wonder,
is Ozempic right for me?
Chelsea Handler telling the Call Her Daddy podcast,
she briefly took Ozempic without realizing.
And I'm like, well, what is it?
I go, I'm on semaglutide and she goes,
that's so sweet. And perhaps most famously,
Oprah. Revealing last year she uses a weight loss medication,
telling People magazine I now use it as I feel
I need it as a tool to manage,
not yo yoing the drug.
Skyrocketing popularity has driven A shortage while fueling record profits
for manufacturers.
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wago V,
recently valued at more than $500 billion,
writing in a statement that they are committed to the
responsible use of our medicines.
But that's not the point.
While some are skeptical of the intentions behind drug makers,
recent messaging doctor Rashmi Raj believes Lilies new campaign makes
an important statement.
This is not a drug that should be part of
a Hollywood fat or trend.
This is a serious treatment that can be life saving
in in some cases and and should be treated as
such.
Now, all that being said,
I'm a lot of people do want this drug and
it isn't an injection form,
but there's been talk about having it in a pill
form.
Is that on the way?
Yeah, certainly something that is being closely watched.
Numerous companies are working to develop a pill form of
weight loss drugs,
Novo Nordisk, among them the maker of Ozempic.
It's all its price of its shares shoot up after
recently announcing that really promising early phase one of an
experimental drug that would be oral form,
it showed that the participants lost about 14%
of their weight over a 12 week period that is
more effective than Wagobi.
Still, it's very important to under score it's an experimental
drug,
just finished phase one. It could be years before something
like this really hits the market because it gets that
FDA approval.
All right, Em, thank you so much.
We appreciate it. Appreciate it.