From Costco's recent partnership with Sesame Telehealth to Abbott's "Protality" protein drink (billed as a special formulation for GLP-1 users), big brands are seeking to sink their teeth into the GLP-1 pie. Even Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of blockbuster medications Mounjaro and Zepbound, has launched Lilly Direct, a program that connects qualified patients with medical providers who can prescribe Zepbound and similar medications.
Over the next five years, we are likely to witness a major shift in the products and services offered by everyday household brands. Imagine grocery stores with protein-packed versions of their predecessors, as shoppers seek to maximize nutritional value while consuming fewer total calories. Pro-ritos chips will line the shelves, adjacent to Ore-pros snack cookies, as those shoppers seek to enjoy some of the same recognizable snacks they have always enjoyed.
As more and more big brands enter the marketplace in pursuit of capitalizing on these blockbuster type 2 diabetes and obesity treatments, the conversation around these two pervasive diseases will undoubtedly increase. This would be a most welcome side effect of the proliferation of what I am dubbing the “GLP Economy.” For too long, obesity, and type 2 diabetes for that matter, have been viewed as conditions brought about by lack of willpower and character deficiencies. With the advent of drugs that work directly on metabolism and hormonal dysregulation, we now have scientific solutions to biological problems, all because science was willing to consider the idea that lifestyle alone may not be the culprit.
