HBR Staff; Winslow Productions/Getty Images
While blockbuster drug innovations have changed health outcomes for decades, we’re now seeing signs that GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy may be changing something broader: the consumer economy. Originally developed for diabetes and increasingly prescribed for weight loss, these drugs are not just influencing physical health and body size. They’re also reshaping collective behavior—how people eat, shop, move, perceive themselves, and make decisions—with significant implications for business leaders.