Weight-Loss Drugs Go Viral With Little Marketing From Big Pharma

Weight-loss drugs are everywhere these days. At the Oscars earlier this year, host Jimmy Kimmel worked Ozempic into his opening monologue. Ads for Wegovy have become a regular feature of the New York City subway system. And Zepbound, a new weight-loss drug making its US debut any day now, is entering a market where it’s all but guaranteed to become an overnight success.

But the typical TV ads and catchy jingles aren’t what’s behind the frenzy over appetite-suppressing drugs from Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly & Co. Big Pharma, in fact, has hardly had to lift a finger.

Instead, a combination of pop culture, ...