What you need to know to cash in on the weight-loss revolution. Our expert guide to investing in the fat-jab companies that could help you pile ON the pounds!
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When my son was a baby, he would often fall asleep on his grandpa’s tummy. It was soft, warm and rather large. How sweet, we thought – after all, grandparents are supposed to be cuddly. Today, however, obesity is not just confined to senior citizens. About 30 per cent of American toddlers are overweight, one in eight UK children are bigger than they should be and, across the world, almost half the adult population – nearing three billion people – are carrying too much timber.
Obesity is a global issue and its prevalence among the young means the problem could become a lot worse over the years. More than 200 life-altering conditions are associated with obesity, from diabetes and heart disease to psoriasis and liver failure.
The longer people carry excess weight, the more likely they are to suffer from one or more of these diseases – and the more pernicious the consequences. No wonder weight-loss treatments such as Ozempic and Zepbound have been hailed as wonder drugs – and no wonder that the companies behind them have been the focus of intense stock market scrutiny.
Demand is huge and likely to persist, which means there could be rich pickings for canny investors. Denmark-based Novo Nordisk led the charge with Wegovy and Ozempic, before New York-listed Eli Lilly followed suit with Mounjaro and Zepbound. Now rivals big and small are racing to produce new and better treatments for one of the biggest problems of our age.
Demand is huge and likely to persist, which means there could be rich pickings for canny investors. So now might be an interesting time to have a dabble, as sector specialists, including the market leaders, have experienced falling prices in recent months.
