Elon Musk dubs himself "Ozempic Santa" as weight-loss drugs go mainstream
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Elon Musk arrives on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Elon Musk showed off a trimmer figure in a holiday social media post on Wednesday while revealing that he has been taking an anti-obesity drug to shed pounds.
Why it matters: Musk's post highlighted just how mainstream weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become in recent years as public figures openly admit to using them, helping transform perceptions and conversations around weight loss.
Driving the news: Musk posted a photo of himself on X on Christmas Day dressed up in a Santa costume, captioning the picture, "Ozempic Santa."
- "Technically, Mounjaro, but that doesn't have the same ring to it," he added.
The big picture: Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy are all part of a buzzy class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, which are seen as potential game-changers for patients struggling with obesity and diabetes and are at risk for heart attack and stroke.
- However, weight-loss drugs have also surged in popularity among patients who don't necessarily need them to treat those ailments.
- The drugs' popularity among celebrities and TikTokers has also helped drive shortages for patients in need.
Between the lines: Musk is the latest in a string of public figures who have recently admitted to taking medication for weight loss.
- The comedian Jim Gaffigan told People magazine last month that he had used Mounjaro to lose weight.
- Singer Kelly Clarkson said in a May episode of her eponymous show that she had been taking a medication to help her lose weight after her "bloodwork got so bad," though she did not specify the name of the drug.
State of play: "Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public," Musk wrote in an X post earlier this month.
- Yet high price tags and insurance restrictions have made the drugs difficult to access for many everyday Americans.
- Last month, the Biden administration proposed a rule requiring Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity drugs.
- Yet the Biden administration and Musk's support for increased access to the drugs is at odds with Robert F. Kennedy Jr's stance on the issue. President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of the Health and Human Services Department has criticized the use of Ozempic.
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