Weight-loss injectables like Zepbound are making as big of a splash as Viagra, if not bigger. What you need to know about the ‘miracle drugs’

Novo Nordisk A/S’s Ozempic was publicized by Hollywood, where it also became a punchline, and now newcomer Eli Lilly & Co. is making a splash with Zepbound. The last time there was this much hype over a new drug was for Viagra, which was approved in 1998. Yet hurdles remain: These drugs cost a lot, insurance coverage is spotty and patients may need to take them indefinitely to avoid regaining weight.  

How do these weight-loss drugs work?

Ozempic and a higher-dose version made by Novo Nordisk, called Wegovy, mimic a hormone, GLP-1, that’s released after eating and works in the brain to reduce appetite and increase feelings of satiety. The drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, were first developed for Type 2 diabetes. The hormone also prompts the pancreas to release insulin after meals, which brings down blood sugar, also known as glucose; people with diabetes have trouble regulating glucose levels. The drugs began to be used as obesity treatments after diabetes patients who took them lost weight. Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, the newest of the drugs, takes a slightly different approach, by combining GLP-1 with another gut hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP, that helps lower blood sugar and may also increase metabolism.

What drugs are available for weight loss?

So far, three GLP-1 injections have been approved for obesity treatment in the US: Saxenda and Wegovy, both from Novo Nordisk, and Zepbound from Eli Lilly. Some doctors are also prescribing drugs…