> "this new class of drugs should be rebranded from “weight loss” drugs to “weight management” drugs, which people may need to take indefinitely."
I suspect the manufacturers view this as a feature not a bug. :-) More seriously, I find the article's conclusions to be pretty much what I'd expect. Most medicines aren't permanent cures and obesity results from a variety of factors with lifestyle and diet being major elements.
I was seriously obese for decades and about 9 years ago, hovering on the edge of becoming diabetic and other serious obesity-related health issues (high BP, IBS/GERDS, chronic apnea, etc), I decided I had to do something. GLP-1's weren't available then but none of the other typical approaches, including medically supervised diets worked more than a few months. Doing my own research, I discovered keto (this was before keto became big) and decided to try it. It was hard at first but also remarkably effective. I lost over 100 pounds in 8 months, becoming fit and seeing abs for the first time in my life. As I lost the weight, all the other health issues resolved too. But I knew if I returned to my previous diet and habits, I'd eventually grow obese again. Many people will take GLP-1s, lose weight but then stop and regain the weight because they didn't change their underlying behavior. Just like many people do with dieting, keto or any other intervention. But any intervention that works can be an invaluable for the few willing to understand, use it as a tool and do the work.
I stayed strict keto for 5 years. Long enough to train my body and mind how to be fit and healthy as normal (not a temporary diet). Then I started a rigorous process of gradually transitioning away from strict keto over a period of two years and that's also worked. I still eat a pretty low carb diet averaging less than 100g or less a day and will for life because there is no "Eat whatever junk you want and stay fit", at least for my metabolism. Reading that article, the criticisms of GLP-1s would also apply to keto or just "eat less, move more". If you stop the intervention, the system returns to state. However, for me keto helped me break an insidious pattern driven by habit, metabolism and blood sugar levels. I was then able to adopt new patterns. I suspect GLP-1s could help others in a similar way. Obviously, there is no magic drug that "cures" obesity by making you immune to bad habits and the physics of calories in/calories out.