Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

wildfirelabs.substack.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 553 posts

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#191

Post by loeg »

devmor wrote: post #34
cj wrote: post #19

I started Tirzepatide 3-4 weeks ago. (Mostly as an experiment to understand the hype around GLP's... I don't have diabetes and only very slightly overweight at 20% body fat). Even at the lowest 2.5mg starter dose which you're only allowed to stay on for 1 month: - Extreme appetite suppression to the point where I've started calorie counting specifically to make sure that I'm eating enough. It's incredibly easy to for…

> Extreme appetite suppression to the point where I've started calorie counting specifically to make sure that I'm eating enough. It's incredibly easy to forget to eat. This is the largest of several reasons I hesitate to try it for myself. I am a very big guy (I would be about 184lbs if I had 0% bodyfat at my current musculature level). From the experiences I hear, I would not only struggle to have enough energy to…

You can just take a lower dose, or cease taking the drug. Appetite comes back. It's pretty low risk.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#192

Post by blitzar »

netsharc wrote: post #78
GZGavinZhao wrote: post #70

I would feel like an absolute failure if I need medicine to help create willpower. EDIT: under the assumption of an average person who is not under any medical condition that may result in lack of willpower

Wasn't there an ADHD drug that was popular for hyper-productivity, in the years where being productive was all the hype?

Work place performance enhancing drugs are still a thing. If you are not on them you are at a major disadvantage.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#193

Post by phatfish »

twoodfin wrote: post #174
dghlsakjg wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a take. I have no idea what Americans overpaying for healthcare has to do with a Danish drug company participating in the Canadian Healthcare market. I’d rather thank the Canadian government for having a drug pricing review process. If these companies don’t want to sell their drugs here, no one is making them. They are still here, so I think it’s safe to assume that they are still making money.

I don’t think it should be controversial to say that if the US imposed a Canadian-style price control regime on more than the handful of drugs currently regulated by Medicare, the future number of drugs developed and commercialized would drop significantly. It’s just basic addressable market vs. development cost math.

Would the number of drugs developed drop, or would a few luxury yacht companies go bankrupt?

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#194

Post by [deleted] »

SoftTalker wrote: post #125
layer8 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A rebranding to a non-prescription drug will depend on how the prevalence × severity of side effects [0] turns out longer-term. I hope that you are right, but it seems too early to tell. [0] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266736812... https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/glp-1-receptor-agonist...

"Gastrointestinal side effects" I assume that is code for excessive and frequent evacuation of watery feces.

[deleted]

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#195

Post by alabastervlog »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #155
ctrlp wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard similar accounts and it sounds pretty wild. I'm not overweight and don't take anything but I do enjoy food. It would be horrible to me to lose the enjoyment of such a primal pleasure. If the choice is between being overweight and giving up the pleasure of eating altogether, I can imagine plenty of gourmands who would rather carry the extra weight for the physical and social pleasures of food. I've heard an…

Counter-anecdote. I have not lost my appreciation for good food, I just eat less of it. I used to be unable to leave any food on my plate regardless of how good or bad it was, now I’m perfectly happy to leave something uneaten if it isn’t to my taste.

Same, I'm on one of them and I still love and enjoy eating and am perfectly capable of eating my beloved junk food. I'm just highly likely to feel done after a few bites instead of... dozens and dozens of bites.

Losing the pleasure of food was one of my main concerns starting it, and it hasn't been an issue whatsoever.

Meanwhile, I'm back down to my healthy weight range, which I haven't seen since 2021, which was about the third time I'd been at that weight and then ballooned up. I was just about at the top of that range after two months, down about 30 pounds, and it took no effort whatsoever.

I feel amazing. Muscle mass is also doing fine, and I'm well into middle age so any protective properties of youth are largely gone, still having no problems there.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#196

Post by machomaster »

gcanyon wrote: post #154
cj wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been hyper aware of the muscle loss caveats and I think it’s the most important thing to know when starting the drug. You really need to prioritize protein intake and make sure your calorie deficit isn’t extreme. Losing too much weight too quickly, with or without the help of a drug, can be very unhealthy. I drink 4 protein shakes a day (160g total) in addition to regular food. If it weren’t for the protein shak…

> Losing too much weight too quickly, with or without the help of a drug, can be very unhealthy. Is there evidence to back this up? It sounds reasonable, especially without a limit on "too quickly" but (anecdata incoming) I'm curious because: - When I first tried a low-carb diet (for non-weight reasons) I lost about thirty pounds in under three months without really trying, and hit something like 12% bodyfat - When I…

The issues with "too quickly" are:

1. the loss of muscle mass

2. low energy

3. unnecessary suffering

4. high fatigue

4.1. inability to maintain the low calorie diet for long enough

4.2. relapse; jojo-dieting.

1, 4.1 and 4.2 are the biggest problems.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#197

Post by loeg »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #160
SoftTalker wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

What a take. I have no idea what Americans overpaying for healthcare has to do with a Danish drug company participating in the Canadian Healthcare market. I’d rather thank the Canadian government for having a drug pricing review process. If these companies don’t want to sell their drugs here, no one is making them. They are still here, so I think it’s safe to assume that they are still making money.

It's unambiguously the case that the US subsidizes drug development for the rest of the world, including non-US pharma companies like Novo.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#198

Post by devmor »

zemvpferreira wrote: post #166
devmor wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Extreme appetite suppression to the point where I've started calorie counting specifically to make sure that I'm eating enough. It's incredibly easy to forget to eat. This is the largest of several reasons I hesitate to try it for myself. I am a very big guy (I would be about 184lbs if I had 0% bodyfat at my current musculature level). From the experiences I hear, I would not only struggle to have enough energy to…

If it makes you feel better, this class of drugs has been part of bodybuilding cutting stacks for a while now. It makes the process much easier and as long as you're diligent about your shakes, no big deal.

I would be interested in reading about that, but it doesn't de facto make me feel any better given my anecdotal experience with bodybuilders watching them take drastic health risks for aesthetics - it just shifts my concern to other points.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#199

Post by thrownawaysz »

I'm on Saxenda (liraglutide) since last August. Started at 163kg, so far 39kgs down I'm at 124kg right now. And I'm not stopping here. Anything under 105kg is already good but I really want to reach a two digit weight.

Saxenda + a calorie restricted diet is pretty much the best combo. Can't complain, never felt any better.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#200

Post by dghlsakjg »

twoodfin wrote: post #174
dghlsakjg wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a take. I have no idea what Americans overpaying for healthcare has to do with a Danish drug company participating in the Canadian Healthcare market. I’d rather thank the Canadian government for having a drug pricing review process. If these companies don’t want to sell their drugs here, no one is making them. They are still here, so I think it’s safe to assume that they are still making money.

I don’t think it should be controversial to say that if the US imposed a Canadian-style price control regime on more than the handful of drugs currently regulated by Medicare, the future number of drugs developed and commercialized would drop significantly. It’s just basic addressable market vs. development cost math.

The drug companies in Canada are part of the drug pricing process. Their development costs are considered. In exchange, they get additional monopoly priveleges on patented medicine.

Canada doesn’t even have particularly low drug pricing compared to the rest of the world, the opposite in fact. Canada just had low drug prices compared to the most expensive market on the planet.

It’s possible that lower drug prices in one country would disincentivize a global industry that touches almost every human on earth. Or it could not.

Post reply on HN