Ethics of Technology
Ozempic ยาลดน้ำหนักจากพิษสัตว์เลื้อยคลานที่ 1 ใน 8 ของชาวอเมริกันใช้
Summary
2024 was not only about AI. It was the year GLP-1 weight-loss drugs — Ozempic and Wegovy — took over the conversation.
The origin is the venom of a Gila monster, which led to a drug that changed how a great many people eat.
The consequences run past medicine: one in eight Americans has taken it, and Walmart’s food sales fell.
Key points
Important drugs come from unexpected places
The venom of a desert lizard was nobody’s plan, which is exactly what makes basic research worth funding.
The economic effect is measurable
When the largest retailer’s food sales move, that is behaviour changing at population scale.
One in eight is an extraordinary share
Very few drugs reach that proportion of a population within a few years.
The long-run questions are unanswered
There is no data on decades of continuous use, because widespread use is recent.