The Rise of Off-Label Weight Loss Drugs

Not many drugs make headline news, and even fewer become household names. When they do, it’s often because they’re used to treat sensitive or stigmatized conditions. In the 1960s, widespread commentary about Valium led Rolling Stone to immortalize the drug in the song “Mother’s Little Helper.” During the 1990s, Prozac and Viagra inspired both hype and handwringing in the media.

Now, weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic are in the spotlight, and news stories about these treatments demonstrate the same worrying tendencies. Life Sciences translation and language services providers could assist in combatting this effect. Read below for more about media treatment and patient communications for weight loss drugs.

Perceptions of Weight Loss Medications Outside of Approved Patient Communications

As with Prozac and Viagra, these medicines are used to treat conditions that are subject to negative public perceptions. And like those drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic have been shown to be safe and effective when used as intended under appropriate medical supervision. Despite years of efforts to counteract these perceptions, harmful misconceptions about depression remain widespread. Sadly, the same is true of overweight and obesity.

The recent spate of news stories about weight loss drugs have their roots in this culture of stigma. Wegovy and Ozempic are brand names for semaglutide, a treatment originally approved for the management of type 1 diabetes. By 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had also authorized Wegovy for managing obesity. However, by then, the drug was already widely prescribed for weight control on an off-label basis. As news media are reporting, Wegovy, Ozempic, and similar medicines are currently in increasingly short supply. This shortage is leading patients to seek treatment from compounding pharmacies and other potentially unsafe sources.

Prescribing patterns are a complicated subject, but these trends are almost certainly linked to familiar cultural phenomena. Many people experience anxiety about their weight and body shape, and cultural influences have helped shape or exacerbate these anxieties. The use of weight loss drugs by celebrities and public figures has intensified these effects. The concerns of doctors and regulators are no longer confined to unattainable body ideals promoted in mass media. Regulators and healthcare professionals should be informing patients about drug safety. What happens if patients start getting that information—or misinformation—from TikTok and other social media platforms?

Steps to Regulate Weight Loss Drugs

Regulators are already taking steps to mitigate the broader dangers. The FDA has issued guidance reiterating the approved uses of semaglutide and warning that compounded substitutes are not subject to the same stringent oversight as mainstream medications. For its part, the EMA has placed Wegovy on its list of medicines subject to additional monitoring.

The Role of Patient Communications

These are welcome and necessary steps, but broader efforts are needed. Nor are these concerns limited to these drugs alone. When drugs become cultural phenomena, our industry must respond by rededicating itself to its mission of safety. Drug safety begins with reliable, readily available information that meets patients where they are. As specialists in language and communications, Lionbridge is passionate about efficient, effective, and plentiful patient communication. Our experts in patient-centric content are ready and willing to help with patient communications.

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Need assistance with your patient communications? Lionbridge has decades of deep knowledge and expertise in life sciences translation services, pharmaceutical translation services, and clinical research translation. Contact us today to find out more about Lionbridge as a life sciences language service provider.