New Weight Loss Drugs Aren鈥檛 a Magic Pill

Feb 9, 2024

A new class of has taken the United States by storm, and they are different from previous medications in that they seem to work. The drugs, known by their pharmaceutical brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy, contain , a chemical that helps regulate appetite but also blood sugar鈥攁 critical function for people suffering from diabetes.聽

With many people taking the medication for cosmetic purposes, the drugs are in short supply. They are also expensive, must be taken indefinitely, and, so far, are not covered by health insurers for weight loss. Meanwhile, are rushing to make a killing off the pharma stocks.聽

Evette Dionne, executive editor at YES! 麻豆社事件 and author of , spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about her concerns regarding the new drugs.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined YES! in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽YES! Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent 麻豆社事件 Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.