The cheap fat jabs sending big pharma into a frenzy
For many Americans who tuned in to watch the Super Bowl earlier this year, it was a surprise to find themselves fat-shamed during the ad break.
'Obesity is America's deadliest epidemic,' a voiceover said, as images of wobbling bellies, greasy burgers and giant apple pies flashed across TV screens.
The Super Bowl's 127m-strong audience, who were tucking into an estimated 1.5bn chicken wings during the event, were warned that 'obesity leads to half a million deaths each year'.
But Hims and Hers, the US online medicines company behind the ad, said people should not blame themselves.
Instead, its advert claimed that 'the system' was keeping them 'sick and stuck', adding that 'there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients'.
To the relief of viewers, Hims and Hers offered a 'life-changing' solution.
Rather than paying hundreds of dollars each month for well-known, branded weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy, households could instead try Hims and Hers' cheaper, replica versions.
'This is the future of healthcare,' it argued. 'Join us in the fight for a healthier America.'
However, for the likes of Danish obesity drug maker Novo Nordisk and US pharma rival Eli Lilly, which have claimed the rise of copycat jabs poses potential health risks, such claims have become a serious headache.
Copycat boom
Over the past few decades, both businesses have poured billions of dollars into obesity drug research – recently yielding blockbuster drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro.
The rapid uptake of such drugs has prompted a surge in revenues for big pharma.
But bosses are now increasingly worried that demand among American patients has been dented by a cluster of smaller, copycat companies.
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