As reported by The New York Times, LillyDirect “connects people with an independent telehealth company that prescribes obesity medications” and sends the drugs directly to a patient’s home. Experts worry that allowing patients to obtain drugs directly from the drugmaker will make it easier for drug companies to target patients without regard for whether their drug may be the right one given the patient’s health history.
Story at a glance:
Eli Lilly, the maker of the weight loss drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro, has launched a telehealth platform to connect patients with prescribers, thereby making it easier for patients to get the drugs.
Some doctors and health care experts rightfully worry that allowing patients to obtain drugs directly from the drugmaker will make it easier than ever for drug companies to target patients without regard for whether their drug may be the right one given the patient’s health history.
Many novel drugs that offer dramatic weight loss must be taken for life. Once you stop taking them, the extra weight comes back. The problem with the lifelong use of these drugs, however, is that their side effects can be life-threatening. Serious side effects of Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda and Victoza include stomach paralysis, pancreatitis and bowel obstructions.
The active ingredient in Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda and Victoza is semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (meaning, it boosts GLP-1). GLP-1 agonist drugs radically slow the passage of food through your stomach, making you feel fuller longer.
A far safer way to boost GLP-1 is to colonize your gut with Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium that naturally secretes a GLP-1-inducing protein. Akkermansia-boosting strategies include supplementing with specific probiotics and prebiotics, eating more fiber, increasing fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs), (including fructose and lactose), boosting intake of black tea, red wine grape extract, cranberry extract and Concord grape, and avoiding alcohol and high-fat diets (60% fat or higher).
