Pharmacological Privilege: How Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Medications are Widening Health Inequalities
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Authors
Lakey, Samuel
Issue Date
2025
Type
Article
Language
en
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Abstract
Obesity remains a growing cause of morbidity and mortality, disproportionately affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist medications promote significant weight loss, giving hope to public healthcare systems increasingly stretched by obesity-related cardiometabolic disorders. Despite increased use of GLP-1 agonists for this indication, the need for these medications greatly outstrips supply due to financial and logistical constraints. The high cost of these medications is currently prohibitive to widespread rollout, yet they remain accessible privately for those able to afford them. This disparity reflects Julian Tudor Hart's inverse care law, in which access to effective healthcare inversely correlates with need. Achieving fair and sustainable integration of GLP-1 therapies will require evidence-informed policies that ensure treatment based on need rather than means. Equitable global access, supported by investment in preventive, population-level strategies, is essential to promote health and avoid deepening worldwide health inequalities.
Keywords: glp-1 agonist; health inequalities; medical weight loss; obesity treatment; public health policy.
Description
Citation
Brennan-Davies, A.H. and Lakey, S. (2025) ‘Pharmacological Privilege: How Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Medications are Widening Health Inequalities’, Cureus, 17(11), p. e97124. doi:10.7759/cureus.97124.
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Journal
Cureus
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PubMed ID
ISSN
2168-8184