alt Hacker NewsOne other note: the current peptide-based GLP-1 drugs are not likely to be the permanent solution. Injectables are just too problematic for that.
Several companies are now working on more classic small-molecule drugs targeting the same receptors. So it's likely that in several years we'll get a pill with the same effects.
Yes, there's technically a pill version of Ozempic already (Rybelsus), but it works by making the stomach wall to be slightly permeable to peptides. You can guess that it has pretty unpleasant side effects, and an awesome bioavailability of 0.7%
I'm curious what about injectables makes them specifically problematic for long term use? Diabetics already have to inject insulin for the rest of their lives, and an injectable version of the same drug usually has fewer side effects since it doesn't have to pass through your gut metabolism. I may be biased, I have no fear of needles and have injected myself with sex hormones every week for nearly 7 years, so adding an autoinjector doesn't seem like that big a deal to me.