Health startup entities are being accused of offering weight loss medication with little oversight.
Companies such as Calibrate are marketing GLP-1 weight loss drugs in online advertisements.
GLP-1s are a class of type 2 diabetes drugs that help control blood sugar levels and assist with weight loss. These medications are sold under brand names such as Ozempic, Trulicity, and Rybelsus, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Other entities, such as Groupon and Vitastir, are making similar offers at significantly-discounted prices for medications such as semaglutide, another GLP-1.
Semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy, has been approved and recommended for use in obese adolescents to stimulate weight loss, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
This injectable medication, which lessens the appetite, is just one of many new treatments — including weight-loss surgery — supported by medical authorities like the American Academy of Pediatrics in light of the ever-growing number of U.S. children and adolescents affected by obesity.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, childhood obesity has skyrocketed across the country, with Texas consistently ranking high on the list of states with the greatest proportion of obese youths.
Since the news broke about what many have called game-changing weight loss drugs, overweight and non-overweight people alike have been pushing to try them out. One consumer had said that she was “desperate” to try the medication and was driven by the fear of missing out, according to Futurism.
With this interest spreading among the general public, some are concerned that offering the medication with little oversight will lead to prescriptions for those who do not really need it.
For instance, telehealth companies have jumped on board, advertising these weight-loss drugs on social media sites like Instagram. As The Wall Street Journal reported, these advertisements sometimes target consumers broadly, beyond the significantly overweight patients the drugs are presumably meant for. They also allegedly neglect to inform consumers about the risks.
“Unfortunately, these are being inappropriately used as a vanity drug,” said Dr. Nisha Patel, an obesity-medicine physician in San Francisco, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Some people are using them just to drop 5 pounds. The get-skinny-quick messaging on social media, that’s not what they’re meant to be used for,” she continued.
However, there are also telehealth initiatives aiming to inform the public about what constitutes good nutrition and ways to access healthy food options. For example, Instacart — a grocery delivery and pick-up app — launched Instacart Health. The company described it as “a sweeping new initiative to deliver the ingredients for healthy living.”
Instacart’s founder, Apoorva Mehta, later raised $30 million for a medical consulting business focused on fighting obesity called Cloud Health Systems, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, one of the company’s first marketing ventures was for GLP-1 medication delivery through its service Sunrise.
Such practices have led members of Congress to call for more oversight of telehealth advertisements of prescription medications for weight loss drugs as well as others like Adderall, which is meant to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“As an anesthesiologist, I feel this is beyond concerning,” said U.S. House Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), according to The Wall Street Journal.
“I intend to continue working with the FDA and my physician colleagues in Congress to stop these bad actors, while expanding telehealth access where appropriate and helpful,” he continued.
Still, even as telehealth companies continue to facilitate access to the new weight loss, at least some people who are actually overweight are likely getting the help they need.