a reporter who writes about tech, money, and human behavior. She joined The Verge in 2014 as science editor. Previously, she was a reporter at Bloomberg., as I suppose they were meant to do — they were unmissable both online and when I was in the city earlier this summer. I saw a woman injecting herself alongside a panel promising “a weekly shot to lose weight.” This particular ad didn’t feature the names of the popular weight loss injections Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro.
There are three relevant regulatory agencies here. One is the US Food and Drug Administration, which approves marketing for pharmaceutical manufacturers and oversees direct-to-consumer advertising. It’s one of the reasons you often hear the long list of side effects on drug ads — something called “” requires it. Another is the Federal Trade Commission, which brings action against false or misleading advertising.
with prescription offerings for hot flashes and vaginal dryness, among other symptoms, under the brand Rory. In 2020, the company began offering a Let’s start with the obvious: weight is not the same as health. If you are skinny but you smoke cigarettes to control your appetite, you might be in worse trouble than you would be if you were overweight. Weight loss is, nonetheless, a booming business in America — and one with a long and dangerous history.
Part of the reason for the weight loss drug boom is simple: an increase in the number of overweight and obese people, widely dubbed the “.” The epidemic’s existence, however, is deeply intertwined with the diet industry. The definition of overweight and obesity is based on a measure called body mass index, or BMI, which has been understood to beNational Institutes of Health conference set the standard for overweight.
After a few days, I got a kit in the mail asking me to prick my own finger for a blood test. At every turn, Ro wanted me to use video — the test featured no written instructions, only a phone holder, an “app,” and the strong suggestion I should video chat with someone at Ro while I drew my own blood.
Asynchronous care, which is what I received, depends on the state and medical concern, says Ro spokesperson Suconick. “In terms of how clinical eligibility is determined in an asynchronous visit, Ro’s Online Visit is dynamic, and enables the patient to detail their health history and goals,” she says in an email.
Ro’s weight loss services cost a discounted $99 for the first month and $145 a month after that. This is called “The Body Program,” which includes a “personal health coach,” a “weekly curriculum email,” an “insurance concierge service,” “ongoing provider care,” and, of course, weight loss drugs. The curriculum seems to have such ground-breaking suggestions as physical activity is good for you and you should get enough sleep.
I take thyroid hormone to replace the stuff my body doesn’t make. Anything that affects how much of it I absorb is going to affect how I feel — which means if I were to start Ozempic, I’d probably need more regular monitoring of my TSH to make sure my hormones remained in range. “There’s an implicit idea that advertising is a form of speech and it’s protected by the First Amendment”pancreatitis, kidney injury, and gallbladder disease, as well as a warning about the risk of thyroid tumors. The FDA requires that manufacturers have to disclose those risks in ads, but telehealth companies don’t have to if they aren’t affiliated with the drug manufacturers or distributors, Sklar says.
These ads can also be a little sneaky. Sure, a drug might be FDA-approved, but it might not be FDA-approved for the indication it’s being advertised for by a telemedicine company. This isn’t a distinction the average consumer is likely to make. “They consistently have language around what they’re doing that’s like, ‘We’re a platform or a facilitator for providers and patients. We’re unaffiliated with the drug manufacturer and distributor,’” says Sklar. That means the FDA can’t really regulate them. But that wasn’t so much of an issue until the public health emergency around covid created an onslaught of ads, she says. In 2020, telehealth companies spent $10 million on digital ads.
There are other risks that come with telehealth, mainly in the form of data privacy. An investigation of 50 direct-to-consumer telehealth sites found that 49 examined companies had, such as Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Though the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 limits what information can be shared, it’s not a proactive law. Something has to go wrong for it to be triggered, Sklar points out.
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