For decades Weight Watchers has been all about personal responsibility and lifestyle changes. obesity here is 40% versus 25% in the UK or 15% of Europe. Michelle Obama was trying to get on this but now we have a drug for that so it seems like there's no reason to solve the underlying issue. I don't think I would take Ozempic but I wouldn't not consider it for sure.
WeightWatchers recently announced a $132 million deal to acquire telehealth company Sequence and enter the prescription drug space (think: GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic). It begs the question: why is a company built on personal accountability facilitating medical interventions? We ask our guest, WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani. Before and after the interview, Nayeema and Kara discuss their own experiences with diet fads and whether drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic will help America deal with the obesity epidemic or simply avoid tackling underlying issues like food supply, corporate greed and light regulation.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema
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