Report: Doctors quoted in media touting weight loss drugs being paid by drugmaker
- Diabetes drugs have become an option for those looking to lose weight
- Report: Some doctors touting the benefits are receiving money
- ‘This pharmaceutical behemoth’ is the driving force behind the campaign
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(NewsNation) — A new report claims that some doctors who are being quoted by the media in stories about the benefits of weight loss drugs are being paid by the makers of the drugs.
In the report, investigative journalist Lee Fang says that the media buzz surrounding the possible weight loss benefits of some diabetes drugs is, in some cases, being financed in part by Novo Nordisk.
“This pharmaceutical behemoth is the driving force behind an aggressive campaign to persuade Americans of the merits of semaglutide, a diabetes and weight loss drug marketed under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy,” Fang writes.
In his report, Fang highlights a doctor quoted in a news piece who touts the benefits of the drug. According to Fang, however, the news outlet didn’t disclose the doctor’s financial ties to Novo Nordisk.
“I was disappointed. When I reached out to every single media outlet that I named in the piece for comment, not a single outlet — USA Today, ABC News and many others — got back to me with a clear explanation here,” Fang told NewsNation’s Dan Abrams.
The buzz surrounding the potential benefits of diabetes medication for weight loss is certainly catching on.
Novo Nordisk, makers of Wegovy, says that demand has forced it to restrict the supply of those smaller, initial doses in the U.S., according to The Associated Press. The company also is warning those taking another weight-loss drug, Saxenda, to expect difficulty filling prescriptions “for the remainder of 2023 and beyond.”
