Semaglutide, popularly known by one of its brand names, Ozempic, is a medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes. It was approved for use in the U.S. in 2018 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), prescribed by doctors for patients to take in the form of weekly injections. While the drug has recently become associated with weight loss, it has been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and kidney failure. Despite potential health benefits, excessive advertisements of these drugs have leaned into emphasizing their weight loss effects. This normalizes a potentially harmful, but enticing, strategy for meeting unrealistic, Western beauty standards.
While advertisements for Ozempic and similar brands have appeared on television since their FDA approval, the growing reputation as a “weight loss injection” has resulted in a shift toward the current marketing direction. This sort of advertising suggests to consumers that they, too, could be smiling and enjoying jovial lifestyles if they simply ask their doctor about Ozempic.
However, the reality is much harsher, as side effects of the drug range from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and stomach pain to more serious risks, such as dehydration-induced kidney problems, vision changes and intestinal blockages. The drug can potentially cause severe, long-term side effects that may last a significant period of time after stopping the medication. Using any drug to address a different concern than the one it was created to address is problematic, but it’s particularly harmful to use one with such serious and potentially life-altering side effects.
The U.S. is one of two countries in the world that allows direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements. Companies spend billions of dollars to make sure their advertisements follow potential consumers everywhere they go, from television screens to billboards. These companies argue that their marketing practices empower patients to take control of their health and advocate for their needs. However, it’s impossible to be properly educated on a drug or medical device by a company that profits from its sales. In 2025, the top Big Pharma manufacturers in the U.S. (Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Merck and Roche) earned roughly $234 billion in revenue. That is a ridiculous amount of money.
The same companies that are suggesting drug advertisements benefit patients and improve healthcare outcomes are facing legal allegations, including failure to warn about side effects, misleading marketing, defective design/manufacturing and regulatory actions. It’s clear that pharmaceutical companies care very little about their consumers making ethical, well-educated choices related to their health.
Serena Williams, a former professional tennis player, recently created an advertisement campaign in collaboration with Ro, a platform that offers semaglutide injections and pills. On their website, the company explicitly states that their products are used to lose weight. In one of these ads, Williams is confidently posed in white athletic clothing while injecting herself with the drug. Charts depicting the amount of weight she may have lost while using the product appear in the background as she strides forward, smiling. By seeing a well-known and successful athlete endorse this, viewers of these advertisements will inevitably associate semaglutide with the standard of beauty that Williams projects through carefully curated visuals.
Beyond the typical ethical issues of advertising pharmaceuticals to consumers, the advertisements for Ozempic prey on those who do not qualify for or cannot afford private health insurance. Wegovy, another semaglutide, is only covered by Medicare for those diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, despite its common prescription for weight loss. This predatory behavior, in which the only option for weight-loss coverage for already low-income Americans is out-of-pocket payments, is a commodification of the basic human right to access healthcare. While brands like Ro are touting their “affordable” prices, “with or without insurance,” they are ignoring the reality that people who cannot afford insurance would be unable to pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket.
Consumer spending on Ozempic and similar brands has seen a significant increase since being approved by the FDA, rising from $13.7 billion in 2018 to $71.7 billion in 2023. Out of the bunch, Ozempic has seen the largest increase, accounting for $26.42 billion in sales. With more than a 500% jump in sales, semaglutide appears to have become a pillar in the U.S. healthcare system.
As semaglutide becomes cheaper, more accessible and is advertised more frequently, its normalization risks downplaying the seriousness of using a powerful prescription drug for cosmetic reasons. While increased affordability may appear positive, it further accelerates Ozempic’s shift from diabetes and extreme weight loss treatment to a culturally normalized weight-loss shortcut. The widespread advertising and cultural hype surrounding Ozempic create a mere illusion that rapid pharmaceutical weight loss is both harmless and aspirational.
