Use of weight loss drugs impacting food supply chains, clothes sales

ABC NEWS (Australia)

New weight loss drugs are not only changing the way people shed kilos they are also starting to have an effect on the economy. The medical breakthrough is beginning a sizeable shift in the way entire industries are doing business.

Transcript

00:00Just five months ago, Sandra Sen was struggling to keep up with her kids, but now every step

00:10feels like a small victory.

00:12For me it's been a complete 180, I'm playing with the kids all the time.

00:16It's all thanks to the drug Wagovi, one of a growing number of GLP-1 medications designed

00:21specifically for weight loss.

00:23The popular brand Ozempic was originally developed for diabetes, but its off-label use as an

00:29appetite suppressant has led to a flood of replicas hitting the weight loss market.

00:34Now let's say 20% of Australians end up taking these drugs, total calorie consumption in

00:41Australia will fall about 6%.

00:44Health economist Adam Spielman says the food industry will be unevenly impacted, with fruit

00:49and vegetable growers likely to benefit.

00:51If you're somebody like McDonald's or Burger King, it's a very different story.

00:56But it's been good news for this 3D body scanner, which monitors fat and muscle levels in the

01:02body.

01:03There has been a massive uplift with our business, I still believe they're a miracle drug.

01:07Because weight loss medications are not listed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, it's

01:11hard to determine how many Australians are using them, but country-wide shortages point

01:16to fast-growing demand.

01:18Slightly more than 30% of Australian adults were classed as obese in 2022, and while these

01:25drugs are a powerful tool to counter that, they're not cheap.

01:29With a month's supply of Wigovi costing $460, and for now, they have to be taken for life.

01:36For Sandra though, the drugs are actually helping her make more money.

01:40I make quicker decisions in my business, so we're able to have quicker turnarounds, bigger

01:44growth.

01:45Shedding kilos today could tip the scales of the economy tomorrow.

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