It seems like every week, there's a new headline about the health benefits of GLP-1s, the new class of injectable weight loss drugs like semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
However, in a new editorial published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, a group of public health specialists pointed out that the companies funding the research into these drugs and their safety are often the same ones making billions of dollars from their runaway popularity.
In their commentary, the Duke-led group of health researchers suggest that there's a glaring conflict of interest when companies like Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, initiate research into the safety and efficacy of these drugs.
As these experts point out, studies have shown that "clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies are more likely to yield favorable results for company products than independent trials."
This so-called "sponsorship bias" can not only lead to favorable academic papers, but similar boosterism in the media and public perception of the drugs. The trend is further complicated as both doctors and influencers are paid to push the injections without revealing negative side effects like gastrointestinal distress.
Along with recommending that organizations like the National Institutes of Health fund more objective research into the safety of these kinds of drugs, the researchers also said that social media posts about them should be "flagged and accompanied by accurate health information from reputable authorities" like the NIH or FDA — like that nearly three-quarters of patients taking semaglutide experienced gastrointestinal disorders like nausea and diarrhea.
At times, there seems to be tension in the commentary's takeaways: in addition to issues around potential bias, the researchers also criticize semaglutide's high cost, saying it makes the drug hard to access for the underserved communities who might need it most.
Still, despite debate about whether exercise and diet should still be considered the gold standard in weight loss interventions, the researchers behind the commentary said that the oft-misunderstood risk factors associated with GLP-1s outweigh such criticisms.
"We believe that the potential risk factors and uncertainties of GLP-1 receptor drugs and other pharmaceutical options should render lifestyle interventions as the frontline treatment," they wrote, "while pharmaceutical interventions should be provided on a case-by-case basis for patients for whom lifestyle changes do not produce lasting results."
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