Article: How GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs Are Reshaping the Healthcare Industry

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John Teasley, who serves as market executive at Wells Fargo Healthcare Banking, spoke with FOX Business and said GLP-1s might be sold to the public as weight-loss medications, yet they are quickly turning into one of the most disruptive economic forces in healthcare. According to him, what we have here is a drug class capable of altering the way providers bring in revenue, the places where investors put their capital, and the manner in which consumers interact with their own health.

Link is here: https://www.foxbusiness.com/healthcare/how-glp-1-weight-loss-drugs-reshaping-healthcare-industry.amp

"how consumers engage with their health". Seriously, tell me something I don't know.
 
TLDR: GLP medications are set to hit hospitals and surgeons hard in the wallet. Less need for joint replacement surgery, better cardiovascular health, and a drop in chronic conditions. So spare a moment of sympathy for Big Pharma, physicians, and medical centers — their profits are in for a serious blow.
 
Once the patents on these medications expire, the outcome should be fascinating to watch. Over in the UK, things work along quite different lines. Private prescriptions are an option, yet obtaining them through the NHS is extremely difficult, which I take to be a matter of expense. Should it turn out that they reduce overall NHS spending, I'm curious whether cheap generics would lead to very liberal prescribing.
 
My guess is that Eli Lilly—a proud Big Pharma member—won't take any hit whatsoever. Once Retatrutide becomes available in early 2027, they'll be sitting pretty. Whatever 'disruption' GLP1's cause, the possibility of fewer chronic disease(s) is the bright side. Count me in favor of that.
 
What share of the profits made by Big Pharma and the medical industry traces back to obesity and the conditions tied to it? That would be an interesting figure to have.

I figure that's part of why they keep pushing prescription GLP prices up as far as they can. They can see that within a handful of years, the pharmaceutical and medical business is going to be a shadow of its former self.

Can you picture it? 20 years from now, will America look like Europe, with hardly any fat people?
 
It's striking that a phrase like "reshape how providers generate revenue" passes without a second thought. Built into it is the idea that producing revenue is a healthcare provider's purpose in itself. In a better world, providers would bring in as little revenue as possible. When people require less medical care, shouldn't we count that as a positive?
 
"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
 
Herkimer P Shagnasty said:

What share of the profits made by Big Pharma and the medical industry traces back to obesity and the conditions tied to it? That would be an interesting figure to have.

I figure that's part of why they keep pushing prescription GLP prices up as far as they can. They can see that within a handful of years, the pharmaceutical and medical business is going to be a shadow of its former self.

Can you picture it? 20 years from now, will America look like Europe, with hardly any fat people?
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That same idea crossed my mind as well. Still, it might surprise you how many folks view GLPs as something evil, purely because of all the scare tactics out there — and honestly, I understand why. The first time I came across Ozempic somewhere online, it was being torn apart, painted as a substance made from reptile venom that left people blind, along with a couple of other claims I can't recall now. My reaction back then was basically "Good grief! who would take that?". Fast-forward to today: after reading a great deal from better sources, I've seen the light. Even so, I wouldn't touch sema myself (I'm on tirz). Unfortunately, there are people who would rather remain overweight than bother doing proper research and speaking up for themselves — I know a few of them personally, and it's pretty sad.
 
Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
 
spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Every so often I've tuned into My 600 pound life. My wish is that Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) winds up unemployed. Handing someone who weighs 600 pounds just 1 sheet of dietary instructions plus 1 counseling appointment won't do much to address what most of those patients are dealing with.
 
Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Every so often I've tuned into My 600 pound life. My wish is that Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) winds up unemployed. Handing someone who weighs 600 pounds just 1 sheet of dietary instructions plus 1 counseling appointment won't do much to address what most of those patients are dealing with.
Click to expand...
Based on what Google shows, it looks like he's switched sides — presumably he also realized which way things were heading:

"Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (widely recognized as "Dr. Now" from My 600-lb Life) rolled out his official Dr. Now's GLP-1 Program in July 2026. This telehealth program, led by providers, pairs GLP-1 medications with his organized, protein-first diet and accountability approach"
 
spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Simple! Shift toward skin removal surgery. That demand is going to rise.
 
spanky2026 said:

Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Every so often I've tuned into My 600 pound life. My wish is that Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) winds up unemployed. Handing someone who weighs 600 pounds just 1 sheet of dietary instructions plus 1 counseling appointment won't do much to address what most of those patients are dealing with.
Click to expand...
Based on what Google shows, it looks like he's switched sides — presumably he also realized which way things were heading:

"Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (widely recognized as "Dr. Now" from My 600-lb Life) rolled out his official Dr. Now's GLP-1 Program in July 2026. This telehealth program, led by providers, pairs GLP-1 medications with his organized, protein-first diet and accountability approach"
Click to expand...
Appreciate it, that's news to me.
 
Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Every so often I've tuned into My 600 pound life. My wish is that Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) winds up unemployed. Handing someone who weighs 600 pounds just 1 sheet of dietary instructions plus 1 counseling appointment won't do much to address what most of those patients are dealing with.
Click to expand...
Based on what Google shows, it looks like he's switched sides — presumably he also realized which way things were heading:

"Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (widely recognized as "Dr. Now" from My 600-lb Life) rolled out his official Dr. Now's GLP-1 Program in July 2026. This telehealth program, led by providers, pairs GLP-1 medications with his organized, protein-first diet and accountability approach"
Click to expand...
Appreciate it, that's news to me.
Click to expand...
I had no idea either — I only found out after checking! This is such a new development; he only started there in July. Operating on patients who are super-obese carries substantial medical risk, which is why he frequently required them to drop x% beforehand. It wouldn't shock me at all if he's now relying on the GLPs to accomplish that for the highest risk patients.
 
spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Around where I live, psychiatrists have been shifting their focus so that giving out GLP-1 medications is now their main service. Bariatric surgeons might follow suit, or they could keep doing operations while also offering injections, letting them capture the weight loss business through whichever route patients choose.
 
spanky2026 said:

Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Every so often I've tuned into My 600 pound life. My wish is that Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) winds up unemployed. Handing someone who weighs 600 pounds just 1 sheet of dietary instructions plus 1 counseling appointment won't do much to address what most of those patients are dealing with.
Click to expand...
Based on what Google shows, it looks like he's switched sides — presumably he also realized which way things were heading:

"Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (widely recognized as "Dr. Now" from My 600-lb Life) rolled out his official Dr. Now's GLP-1 Program in July 2026. This telehealth program, led by providers, pairs GLP-1 medications with his organized, protein-first diet and accountability approach"
Click to expand...
Appreciate it, that's news to me.
Click to expand...
I had no idea either — I only found out after checking! This is such a new development; he only started there in July. Operating on patients who are super-obese carries substantial medical risk, which is why he frequently required them to drop x% beforehand. It wouldn't shock me at all if he's now relying on the GLPs to accomplish that for the highest risk patients.
Click to expand...
He didn't look healthy at any point either. It was obvious he was obese. It's possible he's taking a GLP-1 these days too — if so, that's a positive for him. Still, the manner in which he would speak to his patients at times made it plain that their eating and their biology were entirely beyond their control. Shaming someone isn't a way to make them thin.
 
Seasonal1 said:

spanky2026 said:

Troposphere said:

"bariatric surgery volumes fell 34.1%"

To me, that's an enormous win for patients. Going under the knife costs a lot and comes with greater risk than taking some GLPs.

If GLPs can spare people from needing surgery in all these various ways, count me in.

My dad underwent a quadruple bypass and ran into complications while on the operating table. For a week, they kept him in a medically induced coma. Because of the mistake, my dad ended up with End Stage Renal Failure, which in the end cut his life short. I believe that with GLPs, he would still be with us.
Click to expand...
I'm in a big city with a massive hospital system, and over the past year or so the bariatric surgeons around here have really been hustling to bring in patients. They're marketing their procedures as superior to GLPs, running "info seminars" and that kind of thing. It's obvious they're scrambling for work. Makes me wonder where they'll all shift their focus next, now that we're in this brave new world of GLP.
Click to expand...
Every so often I've tuned into My 600 pound life. My wish is that Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) winds up unemployed. Handing someone who weighs 600 pounds just 1 sheet of dietary instructions plus 1 counseling appointment won't do much to address what most of those patients are dealing with.
Click to expand...
Honestly, that show turns my stomach. Folks sprawled out on a bed, packing food in nonstop...good grief...and somebody they call a "loved one" is right there helping. It's just sad. What really drives me up the wall are the excuses about why the weight came on or why nothing came off between visits. I do feel bad for them. It's heartbreaking to watch the things people talk themselves into believing. ("It is easier to deceive someone than to convince them they've been deceived."-can't recall who said it.)

As for the Dr Pimple popper show, I can't make myself sit through it...absolutely not. No.

🤣
 
laansasa said:


I thought about that, too, but you'd be surprised how many people think of GLPs as the devil due to all the fear mongering, and I get it. When I first read about Ozempic online somewhere, it was bashed and described as a reptile venom derived substance that caused blindness and a few things I can't remember. My first thought was like "Good grief! who would take that?". FFW to now, after reading tons from better resources, I see the light. I still wouldn't take sema (I am on tirz). Sadly, some people will choose to stay overweight rather than do proper research and advocate for themselves - I personally know a few of those people and it is quite sad.

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Click to expand...
It's not hard to picture Americans linking this to the devil. When I was a kid, Pokémon was seen as satanic and banned.
 
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