Billions made from weight-loss injections

Many people want to lose weight, but weight-loss drugs are still expensive and hard to get a hold of. New providers on the market could change that.

Transcript

00:00Elizabeth Plagemann is overweight, like some 3 billion people around the world.

00:07She's tried diets without success, and for a year she's been using weight loss injections under medical supervision.

00:14She's lost 16 kilograms so far.

00:18The injection is working for sure. There's a huge difference.

00:23I really feel like I'm not hungry. It's a feeling I haven't had for years, this feeling of being full.

00:29I didn't have that before the injections.

00:33Nutritionist Lars Selig sees obesity as an illness with a devastating impact.

00:38That includes high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, a higher risk of stroke, and cancer too.

00:48We know that 200 diseases are linked to obesity, so we've got to do everything we can to get patients to lose weight.

00:55It's important. And it's not just about additional medical conditions, it's life expectancy too.

01:00The nutritionist says the life expectancy of obese people is 7 to 10 years shorter,

01:05and their ever-growing number means there is a big market for weight loss injections for pharmaceuticals.

01:11Novonodesk and Lilly are the drug makers selling anti-obesity injections on the market.

01:18But the competition is likely to heat up.

01:23In the short term, scientific development in the field is very dynamic.

01:27Current research is not only focused on improving the mechanisms,

01:31but also on developing active substances that target multiple hormonal receptors simultaneously.

01:39New products and more competition. Now that will lead to lower prices.

01:44And at this pharmacy there's been a growing demand for weight loss injections,

01:48despite being expensive and out-of-pocket prescriptions in Germany.

01:53There are quite a lot of people who are usually very careful about spending money, but they're saying it's worth it.

02:02And there are even some people who, if you ask me, wouldn't even need a weight loss injection.

02:08So, are the injections a lifestyle product or a medical necessity?

02:14Elisabeth Plagemann spends 276 euros a month.

02:19And because the effect of the medication ends when a patient stops taking it,

02:24the drug is a lifelong expense if she wants to maintain the weight loss.

02:38And, and among the people who are extremely conservatively trying to gather the meat loss

02:41.

02:42And they're going to take a moment of radiation.

02:47And, and we're going to take a moment of radiation on their own disposal.

02:51And we have to get the most caught up, and we're going to give it a moment of radiation.

02:58And we're going to take the most out-of-pocket.