Are weight-loss drugs reshaping business?

Business Daily

BBC

Business

4.4 • 816 Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

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Summary

In the final episode of our series on the weight-loss drug boom, we explore how the global surge in demand for obesity medications could be reshaping the business landscape. From established companies rethinking their business models, to start-ups seeking to capitalise on shifting consumer habits, the ripple effects are already being felt across several industries.

We also examine what the future may hold for the weight-loss market and the wider economy, as this sector continues to grow and evolve.

If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Producer/presenter: Hannah Mullane

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the AI boom, why bond markets are so powerful, China's property bubble, and Gen Z's experience of the current job market.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, CEO of Canva Melanie Perkins, and the CEO of Starbucks, Brian Niccol.

(Photo: Close-up of a woman's hand shopping for yoghurt along the dairy aisle in supermarket, reading the nutrition label on the pot. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:08.5	Hello and welcome to Business Daily. I'm Hannah Malame. In the past two programs, we've looked at the medicines that have turned the weight loss industry on its head.
0:17.1	Drugs like Azempic and Majaro have revolutionized weight loss.
0:21.0	Now, weight loss jabs have become more common in the last few years with more and more people using them.
0:26.2	A recent survey showed one in eight Americans have tried medications like Ozempic and Wagovi to treat everything from diabetes to weight loss in other conditions.
0:36.1	Yep, obesity drugs, also known as GLP-1s.
0:39.6	Originally developed to treat diabetes, now we know they help people lose a lot of weight very
0:44.5	quickly, creating a surge in demand by a much wider demographic.
0:48.8	On today's third and final program in our series, I'm looking at the businesses that have
0:52.7	grown out of this boom.
0:54.6	From food manufacturers to gyms, we'll speak to those that are capitalizing on a change in
0:59.1	consumer habits.
1:00.8	For anybody considering entering the food business today, if GLP1 support is not core to your
1:07.0	business plan, you know, I don't know what your business plan is.
1:10.6	These medicines are expensive, but they may soon become cheaper as generic versions and to the
1:14.9	market. So what could this mean for the global weight loss industry? That's all coming up on this
1:19.8	episode of Business Daily.
1:25.2	Hi, my name's Tammy. I've been on a Manjaro journey now for over a year. I've lost over 32% of my body weight.
1:31.2	I've been on Ozzympic for just about a year.
1:32.9	My first dose of Wegovi. I'm maintenance, 50 pound hour.
1:36.9	Wegovi, a Zenpick, Manjaro. These are all names you may have heard in the last few years.
1:41.8	All variations of weight loss injections that millions
	...

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