George Chidi, a politics and democracy reporter for Guardian US, recently came to Europe on holiday. He had been looking forward to eating his way around Paris and London, and was especially looking forward to the cheese. But when he got here, something surprised him. He enjoyed the food but found he wasn’t overeating.
For the past few months, he explains to Hannah Moore, he has been taking the weight-loss drug Ozempic. Almost 2% of the population in the US is taking it and the company behind it is worth billions. But while it’s been a big year for semaglutide weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, the changes they are making to US society are only just beginning.
From reduced profits for fast-food companies to breakthroughs in using them to treat other diseases from kidney problems to dementia, the long-term consequences could surprise us all. But for Chidi, whose reporting often focuses on inequality, the price of the drugs and who is able to afford them also raises problems. Could they heighten social inequalities, even if they make the country healthier?
Photograph: David J Phillip/AP
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