O-free-sity?

If you see a product promoted by Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'. and Kim Kardashian, you might think of daring modern fashion or ultra-fast cars. You are most likely not expecting a $1,200-per-month (£991) injection now touted by the NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948. to cure obesityThe medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.).

Semaglutide is described by celebrities and health professionals alike as a "wonder drug", which can help you to lose an astonishing 15-20% of your body weight in just 68 weeks. It mimics the effect of the gut hormoneChemicals carried in the bloodstream that alter the way your body's systems act.  GLP-1, suppressing the appetite.

In many ways, it is a miracle. Obesity is one of the world's greatest killers, causing as many as 15% of deaths in some regions and around five million deaths worldwide every year. It is a major risk factor for heart disease, strokes, diabetesA medical condition causing there to be too much sugar in the blood. and cancer.

And the problem is only growing: more than half of the world's population is expected to be overweight or obese by 2035, compared to 38% currently.¹

Despite controversy, semaglutide has been approved for use in the NHS, and will be widely available at huge high street chemists in the UK.

And in further revelations, investigators found that the drug giant behind the new treatment, Novo Nordisk, paid millions to health experts who went on to praise the drug.

Many have spoken out against the "skinny jab". Some feel that it could remove the element of personal responsibility from our eating habits. As legend goes, the ancient Romans would be so keen to indulge at their feasts that they would vomit between courses to keep their stomachs empty. Some think a "skinny drug: would act similarly, incentivising excessive overconsumption with the promise of a quick and easily available "fix".

Others warn that it obscures the real issue. Obesity may be a dangerous killer, but it is to an extent only the symptom of a larger problem: the widespread availability of processed foods over healthy alternatives, along with a toxic system of advertising which has taught us to crave junk food.

Some question whether it is "fair" that people who would otherwise have been fat can become thin with the help of a drug, rather than through eating well and exercising. But many experts have pointed out the flaws in this line of thinking. 

Dieting and exercise to combat obesity are thought by some to work for only 10-20% of the population, and weight is thought to be dependent as much on geneticsA branch of science that studies genes. Genetics can include looking at how some diseases are passed down the generations, like cancer or heart problems. as on behaviour.²

Yes: This drug will teach people that it is okay to excessively over-consume without consequences. This is not only ultimately unsustainable for health, but also for global food production and the environment.

No: Free will does not come into obesity for many obese people. Instead, obesity is something which traps them and which they cannot escape. We must stop assuming that weight is always the result of choice.

Or... If somebody found a drug that cured lung cancer, people would be unlikely to disapprove of it on the grounds that it might cause more smoking. The prejudice against this drug is merely a result of fatphobiaPrejudice or bias against people who are overweight. .