A wildly popular class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists—which includes Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound—are revolutionizing the treatment of obesity. One in eight adults has tried a GLP-1 drug for weight loss or to manage their diabetes, and a tidal wave of research is revealing that these medications may also help with a range of health issues, from lowering the risk of heart disease and certain cancers to treating sleep apnea and substance use disorders. "These drugs are making a big difference because of how effective they are," says Angela Godwin Beoku-Betts, a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and board-certified family nurse practitioner who runs a private clinic in the Bronx focused on obesity and weight loss.
While millions have readily embraced these medications, they're new, and there's not a lot of data on how they'll affect patients—and society—over the long term. The high demand and costs for GLP-1s have driven patients to telehealth prescribers and less-regulated compounded versions, and gaps have emerged in who can access them. "What does it mean to be medicating a population instead of addressing the social and structural issues that contribute to obesity?" asks Virginia Chang, a physician, sociologist, and associate professor of social and behavioral science at the NYU School of Global Public Health who studies obesity and health disparities.
NYU News spoke with Chang and Godwin about how this new generation o.