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A number of drugs have popped up in pharmacies across the country that seem poised to revolutionize the way Americans deal with weight loss. Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may have been designed for diabetics, but many non-diabetics are taking them as a way to kick off a few unwanted pounds. As a professor of bioethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, Dr. Arthur Caplan has been following the development of these medications. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to discuss the latest wonder drug, Mounjaro.
“It seems safe, but remember, no one has had this drug and used it for more than a few years in a row,” Dr. Caplan told Berman and Riedel. “If it turns out to be safe, I think it is the future. I think people are going to start injecting themselves who are just heavy, or, you know, worried about (being) overweight and use it to maintain weight. It doesn’t seem to have terrible side-effects. It’s a lot easier than exercise. It’s a lot easier than controlling your diet, and at the end of the day… if this really does it, I think it’s going to become the answer.”
But weight gain and the various diseases caused by it go hand-in-hand with the average American lifespan decreasing to 76 years of age. Being overweight is the leading reason for the drop, but Dr. Caplan says there are other factors. “The other sad fact is… it reflects Covid, it reflects the pandemic. There were still… a million deaths. That takes a toll. The other problem is drug use. We still have fentanyl deaths and other drug overdoses, and that drives down the lifespan because the people who die there, sadly, are young.”
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