Weight-loss drugs are changing everything

America’s appetite for GLP-1 weight loss drugs is a bottomless pit.

Novo Nordisk raised its annual guidance after the Danish company’s Wegovy pill sold even better than expected, racking up 1.3 million prescriptions in the first three months of the year, totaling 2.26 billion kroner in sales (about $243 million). That’s a fraction of Novo’s total sales…for now. Sales of the oral option are anticipated to grow significantly once pending regulatory approvals open up markets outside the US in the second half of 2026.

Meanwhile, sales for Wegovy’s injectable treatment also jumped 12% year over year, disproving worries that a pill could cannibalize the pen. Overall, Novo’s Q1 sales soared 32% on a constant currency basis, while operating profits ballooned by 65%.

Shareholders applauded, boosting the company’s stock 1.96% today.

Meanwhile, rival Eli Lilly’s own obesity pill, Foundayo, which launched in April, sold 6,000 prescriptions in its first three weeks on the market. But it has some catching up to do: The Wegovy brand currently commands 65% of all new prescriptions in the US.

Still, both pills stand to bring in buyers who’d never go near a needle, expanding an already enormous market. Currently, around 1 in 8 Americans have taken GLP-1 drugs, and JPMorgan forecasts that this will balloon from 10 million users in 2025 to 25 million by 2030.

Food, fashion, and…hair loss

GLP-1s were designed to slim waistlines, but they’re also reshaping entire industries. Given weight loss drug users consume 21% fewer calories and spend 31% less on groceries, JPMorgan predicts that these drugs will take a $30 billion to $55 billion bite out of food and beverage businesses between 2030 and 2034.

To fatten their margins, both Nestlé and Healthy Choice maker Conagra are now serving up frozen meals labeled as “GLP-1 friendly,” which means they not only come in smaller portions, but are designed to alleviate some of the drug’s unsavory side effects, with plenty of protein (to curb muscle loss) and fiber (to combat constipation).

Speaking of side effects, GLP-1s are also thinning something else: hairlines. Although temporary, this problem has spawned a budding industry of hair treatments. L’Oréal’s Redken rolled out an entire line of shampoos and serums called the Acidic Grow Full System, designed and tested on GLP-1 users with positive results.

And of course, clothing stores are expected to enjoy a $13 billion annual boost this year as GLP-1 users shed their old wardrobes, according to equity research firm Bernstein. But not all clothing stores will come out ahead. Since budgets are tight and what fits fine today might be loose all too soon, shoppers are expected to gravitate toward budget-friendly retailers like TJ Maxx and Target, athleisure wear by Nike or Lululemon for clothes that can better fit changing bodies, and apparel rental services like Rent the Runway.

Weight loss drugs are creating a massive domino effect across industries. With 25 million GLP-1 users expected by 2030, this could be just a taste of what’s to come.—JD