News and social media are saturated with articles about the demand for and shortage of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs marketed for weight loss. The best-known of these drugs is semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. The widespread media coverage so far – primarily concerning drug demand, shortages and costs – only tells part of the story.
The drug and others like it are driving major corporations to contemplate strategic changes and altering financial projections anticipating a downturn in obesity rates. Airlines are forecasting greater profits from lower fuel costs as lighter passengers board their planes while retailers and food manufacturers are noticing or anticipating a dive in demand due to consumers’ reduced appetites. Clothing companies are optimistic that slimmer shoppers will want to upgrade to a new wardrobe, while life insurers are excited by the potential of their policyholders living longer, thereby reducing the risk of a payout.
We also continue to learn more about the other health benefits of these drugs. Recently published research in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes Wegovy can improve cardiovascular health, while it is also being studied to treat substance use disorders and dementia.
It’s clear that the broader impact of these drugs in the years ahead will reach levels similar to the world-changing repercussions of the Internet or smartphones. Yet one hugely important near-term obstacle remains: What happens when drug supply meets demand and there is already a shortage of clinician capacity to treat these patients?
After all, patients taking GLP-1 and newer drugs, such as the recently FDA-approved tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound), require follow-up visits, along with other counseling around diet, exercise and mental health. The question of ongoing patient management, which is a less provocative angle from a media perspective, has not been fully considered, nor does it have easy answers.
Telehealth is poised to serve as an essential tool to fill an exploding demand for care. Providers and digital health companies need to act now by expanding telehealth offerings that include on-demand care teams knowledgeable and experienced in GLP-1 drugs, but also overall health and wellness strategies.
Shifting healthcare supply and demand
While the demand for GLP-1s is unprecedented, and the ramifications are immense, there are some significant hurdles, foremost among them a significant physician shortage. As we know, obesity is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management even after a patient is prescribed semaglutide or similar drugs. The provider typically responsible for identifying potential problems is a primary care physician. However, the U.S. has faced a continued shortage of primary care physicians for years and is currently tracking to need as many as 48,000 of these doctors by 2034.
Yet debt-saddled medical students mostly avoid lower-paying primary care roles in favor of more lucrative specialties. Even among the primary care physicians available now, only about one-quarter (27%) reported they discussed weight management with patients, and 9 out of 10 report they lack adequate time to counsel them on obesity.
Adding to the shortage problem is the physician burnout crisis, which a 2023 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes is a “potential threat to the ability of the U.S. healthcare system to care for patients and needs urgent solutions.” Indeed, access to clinicians will be needed, especially in provider-shortage regions and other vulnerable communities that face social determinants of health-related obstacles to care.
Telehealth poised to fill gaps
The rapid growth of telehealth services has laid the groundwork to fill clinician gaps, expand access and protect patient safety and health. Qualified, experienced healthcare providers licensed in the patient’s state, but working around the U.S., could safely manage the growing population of patients using weight loss drugs wherever the demand arises. Fortifying that infrastructure must start now by developing a nationwide clinician capacity that can safely and consistently manage millions of new patients once supply meets demand.
It appears that time is coming. Apart from the FDA’s tirzepatide approval, the chief financial officer of Novo Nordisk, which makes both Ozempic and Wegovy, said in a recent conference that the company will be “delivering significant step-up in volumes (of the drug) to the U.S.” in 2024. STAT has already been tracking the development of dozens of obesity drugs here.
Healthcare providers need to be ready. A safe, effective and sustainable weight loss path requires not just the physicians to write the prescriptions, but also the healthcare professionals to help patients overcome obstacles to success, instill new lifestyle habits and detect potential health problems. Telehealth can ensure that this path is accessible – but we need to start planning and scaling now to ensure equitable access to all patients, not just the lucky few.
Photo: Sorbetto, Getty Images
