The promotion of GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, Wygovy, Mounjaro, et al, continues; yet the situation has all the usual elements of a pending medical disaster. There are signs now of the promotion of GLP-1 weight loss drugs spiralling out of control, and that the Conventional Medical Establishment is losing control of the situation. Let me precis the story, thus far
The pharmaceutical industry introduced GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, Wygovy, Mounjaro, et al, to treat diabetes. It is well known that these drugs can cause serious adverse effects.
It is then discovered that the drugs can cause weight-loss. As obesity has become a serious health epidemic around the world the industry, supported by both the NHS and the mainstream media, began to promote them, heavily, in order to increase sales.
Although the drugs are expensive the NHS agreed to prescribe them for a specific, restricted group of obese patients, providing that there was a health plan that supported the patients who were prescribed the drug for time-limited periods.
The known adverse reactions to these drugs have not been heavily advertised; we are told, as usual, that the benefits (loss of weight) outweighs any disadvantages.
The problem has been that many, less obese patients, who like the idea of losing some weight, want to have them too. But they discover they do not fit the NHS criteria. So what do they do?
The promotion continues.
Apparently weight loss drugs are to be ‘incentivised’ in new GP contracts. New obesity targets, we are told, will be used to incentivise doctors to prescribe weight loss drugs “where clinically appropriate”. This article states that doctors will be ‘incentivised’ with a payment of £3,000 “to maximise weight loss drug prescriptions”. So the NHS wants to increase, rather than reduce, the number of people who take the drugs.
Demand for the drugs increase.
The Daily Mail has reported recently that 2,000 doses of ‘fake’ weight loss drugs were seized in a double gang property raid, and reports “warnings about illegal Mounjaro pens being sold on online pharmacies”. So people who cannot get the drug on the NHS (as they do not fit the obesity criteria) are resorting to buying them from the internet - at ‘discount’ prices. Yet note that in the same paper, attached to the same article, continues to promote the drugs! “Woman who was too fat for IVF on NHS lost six stone on fat jabs”!
More evidence of Adverse Drug Reactions
During recent weeks more evidence is emerging about the ‘side effects’ of these weight-loss drugs. The known side effects are reported in the Drugs.com website here. They are bad enough, but new ones are emerging, and can be found in these articles. These are in addition to those already accepted by the pharmaceutical medical establishment.
So clearly the full impact on human health of these drugs is not fully known. Evidence is even now emerging which conventional medicine did not know about when the drugs were approved by the drug regulators. How much more will come out? And how many more people who be ‘incentivised’ by doctors to take the drugs, or seek them on internet pharmacies (of which there are many).
The Conventional Medical Establishment is playing ‘Russian Roulette’ with these GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Certainly the full extent of the harm they are causing is not yet fully known. Yet their promotion continues, in full swing.
I suspect there will come a time when so many people will be damaged by these drugs that they will seek compensation. Have they been warned about all the ‘side effects’ these drugs are known to cause? Leave along the ‘side effects’ that have not been fully substantiated yet? And if they have not been properly and fully informed, they will have a strong case.
So I write this article with a sinking feeling that, at some time in the future, we will be dealing with yet another medical disaster rather than a nation of slimmer, fitter people!
For the latter we will need to inform and educate people about their diet, not least about the harm (including the obesity) that is being caused by ultra-processed foods.
To avert the former conventional medicine will need to inform people, more openly, honestly and transparently, about the harm these drugs can cause; and stop making the assumption that they are beneficial.
I am not sure that the Conventional Medical Establishment will do either.
