New drugs could spell an end to the world’s obesity epidemic

New drugs could spell an end to the world’s obesity epidemic
The drug switches off the powerful urge to eat that lurks inside the brain. (Image: Unsplash)
The Economist
A new type of drug is generating excitement among the rich and the beautiful. Just a jab a week, and the weight falls off. Elon Musk swears by it; influencers sing its praises on TikTok; suddenly slimmer Hollywood starlets deny they have taken it. But the latest weight-loss drugs are no mere cosmetic enhancements. Their biggest beneficiaries will be not celebrities in Los Angeles or Miami but billions of ordinary people around the world whose weight has made them unhealthy.New class of drugsTreatments for weight loss have lo...

More Health

What's a life worth? Depends on the department
Policy

What's a life worth? Depends on the department

A consultancy argues different values of life are leading to an underinvestment in health.

Dileepa Fonseka 14 May 2025
The NZ company 'democratising hearing health'
Health On The Up

The NZ company 'democratising hearing health'

Can hearing aids be made both affordable and desirable?

Pattrick Smellie 09 May 2025
Health NZ weighs AI tools as doctors see productivity gains
Health

Health NZ weighs AI tools as doctors see productivity gains

Health NZ is yet to endorse any AI tools for staff use.

John Anthony 07 May 2025
Radius buys care home off Arvida
Property

Radius buys care home off Arvida

Radius Care will have another 109 beds in Christchurch.

Gregor Thompson 30 Apr 2025