We know so little about taking weight-loss drugs without prescription – is it really worth it? | Devi Sridhar

In a 2024 poll, 12% of those surveyed in the US said they had taken or were taking GLP-1 drugs.

It’s become a coveted luxury in middle- and low-income countries, with high prices being the main barrier to usage the cost is $ 95 a month in Brazil and $ 115 in South Africa , compared with about $350 in US .

But the draw of weight loss can be very powerful. Ironically, many of those such as Elon Musk who went back and forth on accepting the safety of Covid vaccines, seem super eager to get jabbed by GLP-1 drugs, damn any potential side effects. Ah yes, because Covid-19 vaccines were only about reduced risk of death, not losing weight. - Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh , and the author of the How Not to Die (Too Soon).