NEW YORK — Nearly 900 million adults globally live with obesity—a condition linked to at least 20 diseases and projected to cost the global economy $2.76 trillion in lost GDP by 2050. GLP-1 medications have emerged as a breakthrough treatment, with prescriptions growing 38% annually between 2022 and 2024 and sales expected to reach $100 billion by 2030.
As these treatments rise to the forefront of public attention, “society has two possible paths forward,” write McKinsey’s Drew Ungerman and Hemant Ahlawat. “It can react to obesity by emphasizing medical treatment and weight management drugs, or it can also pursue a broader vision that prioritizes prevention, societal shifts, and metabolic health for all.”
Explore how GLP-1s are transforming obesity care, influencing the aesthetics sector, and shaping the future of health.
The path toward a metabolic health revolution
GLP-1s are boosting demand for medical aesthetics
The $2 trillion global wellness market gets a millennial and Gen Z glow-up
