The Wegovy pill-which has been in clinical trials for over two years and was approved by the FDA on December 22-is the first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults available in the U.S. According to a press release from Novo Nordisk, the pill hit the market on January 5 at more than 70,000 U.S. pharmacies and several popular telehealth providers. Per a KFF health tracking poll released in November, one in eight Americans were already taking a GLP-1 for weight-loss.
In July, Sundberg published a newsletter headlined "1 in 3 Feed Me readers surveyed use a GLP-1." Despite being sponsored by a company that sells weight-loss medication, the post doesn't shy away sharing its negative perceptions. In one anonymous quote submission, a reader said, "It's kind of cheating, shouldn't we all work to get healthy, not thin?" Another said: "I am still embarrassed for other people if they get on them."
This recently acquired knowledge is due to the fact that Williams was announced as the new "celebrity patient ambassador" for direct-to-consumer telehealth company Ro on Aug. 21. The goal of this multiyear campaign is to "destigmatize weight loss medication," Saman Rahmanian, co-founder and chief product officer at Ro, told Healthcare Brew. Williams was a patient first and then wanted to share her story with others, he added.