What if the new weight loss drugs based on GLP-1 (Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound in particular) were a boon for the economy? The chief economist of the bank Goldman Sachs, Jan Hatzius thinks so and he even anticipates a major increase in growth. Explanations.
Why are anti-obesity treatments a godsend?
According to him, health problems linked to obesity are a burden on the economy, because they slow down the productivity of employees, and even prevent a large number of people from having a job. Quoted by Business Insiderthe expert clarifies his thoughts:
Combining current losses in hours worked and labor force participation due to illness and disability, premature deaths and informal care, we estimate that GDP could potentially be more than 10% higher if poor health outcomes did not limit the labor supply in the United States.
He adds:
Estimates therefore suggest that obesity-related health complications subtract more than 3% from per capita output, implying a decline of more than 1% in total output when combined with the incidence of more 40% of obesity in the American population.
Thanks to Ozempic and other products on the market, we could therefore hope for enormous productivity gains and an impact on American growth which would range from 0.6 to 3.2 points. And precisely, the economist’s demonstration seems to have been heard by the White House.
This week, Joe Biden announced his intention to reimburse, via the Medicaid and Medicare social security systems, several drugs against obesity. Considerable progress which could unfortunately be quickly erased by Robert F Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s future Minister of Health.
Major virtues for health
As a reminder, these medications have very significant medical benefits. In addition to weight loss, these have positive effects on patients’ blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They nevertheless have certain side effects to be aware of: nausea, diarrhea, or even constipation. To delve deeper into the issue of Ozempic remedies and anti-obesity treatments, we invite you to reread our very comprehensive analysis on this subject published this summer.
What to remember:
- Anti-obesity treatments are becoming more popular
- They could also act positively for the American economy
- Joe Biden wants to have them reimbursed by Social Security, but it is not certain that Donald Trump will maintain this decision
