I’m no epidemiologist, but all of this seems like the biggest positive health impact since vaccines. In the America, all my life The System and The Culture have been telling us we’re overweight and that is causes problems. No doubt, a lot of healthcare spend is in response to that.
Well. This seems like a legit “quick fix.”
If generic semaglutide were made available to everyone with obesity and diabetes globally, it could save 2.1m-3.1m lives a year, according to one model. Moreover, glp-1 medications are known to reduce cardiovascular events, improve sleep apnoea, protect the kidneys and liver, and even show promise for reducing addictive behaviours. Early data have even hinted at reduced risks of cancer and Alzheimer’s. More results on these unexpected side-benefits of GLP-1 use will be published in the coming months. However you slice it, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for these remarkable drugs.
It feels like these drugs, popular as they are, are likely “under-rated” in that they would address huge, systemic problems in US health. Hopefully it will and they’ll become “boring” like vaccines and high blood pressure medicine.