Yeah those things are ridiculous. I don’t know if people just used to be more slender build or what.
It’s “useful” as a population level measure, but there’s definitely some kind of implicit body archetype involved. The bottom of “overweight” is 200 lbs at 6’2". I would be like 7% body fat with any muscle at 6’2".
A while back I did one of those dunk tank things and it said I had a lean body mass of 191 lbs. Which means I’d still be technically overweight at 0% bodyfat (and also dead).
Haven’t read this but thought some of you might be interested.
https://x.com/jflier/status/1826985844684570747?t=_5m7omWEO7lHxIGJrz-hXA&s=19
If you don’t want to go to X you can download the paper here.
ABSTRACT Many factors determine whether and when a class of therapeutic agents will be successfully developed and brought to market, and historians of science, entrepreneurs, drug developers, and clinicians should be interested in accounts of both successes and failures. Successes induce many participants and observers to document them, whereas failed efforts are often lost to history, in part because involved parties are typically unmotivated to document their failures. The GLP-1 class of drugs for diabetes and obesity have emerged over the past decade as clinical and financial blockbusters, perhaps soon becoming the highest single source of revenue for the pharmaceutical industry (Berk 2023). In that context, it is instructive to tell the story of the first commercial effort to develop this class of drugs for metabolic disease, and how, despite remarkable early success, the work was abandoned in 1990. Told by a key participant in the effort, this story documents history that would otherwise be lost and suggests a number of lessons about drug development that remain relevant today.
“Eli Lilly will now sell cheaper vials of Zepbound, presenting a direct challenge to telehealth companies that offer compounded versions of the medication.”
This looks suspicious but also potentially useful (free article).
Millions of people injecting themselves with needles, no way that can go badly
They already do with insulin. It’s the same size needle and location.
2 Likes
I would be shocked if the marginal price of the injection pen systems is more than $5-10. They are just finding a way to compete with lower price offering while maintaining a facade of justification for their standard high price. They want to own the Ritz Carlton as well as Motel Six sections of the market.
Of course, it may be worth taking advantage of if convenient.
Yeah it’s ridiculous. Also it’s only for 2.5 and 5mg, not 10 or 15. So they’re trying to get you hooked on the low dose stuff then force you onto the pens.
I love how healthcare in this country is shadier than buying a Moroccan rug.
I’m good on 5mg for now. So I’m going to have my doctor send my next prescription to them and we’ll see how it goes.
Definitely going to try to get my insurance to pay for some type of this drug. But I also ask myself so what if I pay 1500 out of pocket for 6 months? Seems like losing 40lbs would be worth more than that.
Yeah that’s what I thought, and it has been worth it. Also I had money just sitting in an HSA. And it’s more like $1100/month.
With the compunding companies?
Much cheaper with them. Like $300/month.
If your insurance won’t pay for it there’s a discount program through Lilly for Zepbound. Saves like $500/mo.
I feel like I may have a hard time with insurance paying for it since I am not actually diabetic. My coworker who is on it was diabetic. Last doc I talked to in Vegas balked at it. Like do you really need me to eat myself to type 2?
1 Like
What happens when you quit taking GLP-1s? Is there much research on that? I’m guessing the weight comes back but I’m curious.
Reminds me of a story my dad told me about when he went to get his physical to be drafted to go fight in vietnam. His friend he went with got told he needed to lose some weight and come back. They went to lunch after and the dude ordered two double cheeseburgers and two large fries for just himself.
2 Likes
The article mentions a “telehealth” thing associated with the program. Bet they won’t be hassling you about getting a script.