Where big pharma goes, the wellness industry follows closely behind. Next stop: GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Called glucagon-like peptide-1 in full, the term “GLP-1″ on a supplement bottle would likely have confused the average shopper a few years ago. But that was before the rise of medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, the brand names for semaglutide, which mimics the hormone GLP-1 that reduces feelings of hunger. Originally prescribed for type 2 diabetics, semaglutide can also slow digestion and curb cravings, leading to dramatic weight loss for many users.

More recently, their widespread adoption has also created a cottage industry of products, from supplements to nutrition plans, designed to complement and enhance the effects of the injections. Others are positioned as alternatives to GLP-1 agonist medications – Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement brand Lemme, for example, unveiled its GLP-1 supplement on Sep. 12. Made with plant extracts, the product’s description says it “supports your body’s GLP-1 hormone, reduces hunger,” and “supports healthy weight management.”

Lemme joins a growing group of supplement makers hitting the market with products claiming to either increase or “support” GLP-1 levels in the body, using careful language and scientific study findings to back up their claims. Pendulum and Codeage both sell a GLP-1 Probiotic, and Supergut offers a Gut Healthy GLP-1 Booster. Some leave out explicit mentions of GLP-1, but clearly allude to it: Arrae’s MB-1 supplement for “metabolic burn” is described on its product listing as a “natural faux-zempic” without mentioning the hormone directly.

Others, like weight management wellness brand SoWell, are releasing products intended to be used alongside GLP-1 agonist injections. SoWell founder Dr. Alexandra Sowa, an internal medicine physician focused on obesity treatment, launched the brand’s GLP-1 Support System in August 2024, which includes packages of fibre, protein, and electrolyte powders meant to help ease common side effects like nausea and dizziness.

There is massive opportunity in the so-called “Ozempiconomy.” Last year, Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk surpassed LVMH as the company with the highest market cap in Europe. Circana found that weight management was the third most important wellness concept for US consumers, after improved overall physical health and reduced stress, and between August 2023 and 2024, searches for “GLP-1 supplement” swelled 792.1 percent, according to data from the trend analysis platform Spate.

Wellness brands who are able to hop on the trend successfully have the potential to tap into several customer groups, including those wary of pharmaceuticals for weight loss, those with cost concerns or severe side effects from the drugs, and those on the drugs themselves.

But there’s a fine line to tread in doing so: experts, including doctors, say that the use of the hormone in product names amounts mainly to a marketing tactic capitalising on skyrocketing public interest.

“This is a lot of marketing,” said Dr. Rekha Kumar, the founder of weight loss telehealth startup Found. “The biggest reason people stop GLP-1s happens to be nausea, and now you’re seeing tons of things out there that help with nausea. Those are real side effects, and they do need to be addressed, but you will see people trying to make money off of it.”

Over-the-Counter ‘Faux-Zempic’

While GLP-1 receptor agonists have been shown to be highly effective in weight loss, there are multiple reasons consumers seek out alternatives.

Lemme launched in 2022, and since then, the brand received “thousands of messages from people who were looking for natural alternatives to GLP-1 medications,” said Simon Huck, co-founder of Lemme, who observed “a lot of hesitancy” among potential customers.

Brand-name GLP-1 agonists can be cost-prohibitive, especially when patients don’t meet the BMI threshold set to qualify for insurance coverage.

The Vitamin Shoppe, for example, offers GLP-1 medications in partnership with a telehealth company WellSync. The cost of its brand-name drug injections, including Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, range from $1,174 to $1,524 a month, while compounded versions — created by pharmacies when brand names are in short supply — run between $174 to $194 a month. But even cheaper are supplements claiming to boost GLP-1 levels: The Vitamin Shoppe sells the SuperGut GLP-1 Booster probiotic at $29 for 15 packets, or less than $60 a month.

These supplements, which typically come in the familiar gummy, pill, or powder formats, are also a more approachable concept for customers wary of injections.

“There are just some people that are opposed to pharma because they worry about what the impact of that might be or the expense,” said Muriel Gonzalez, the president of supplement retailer The Vitamin Shoppe.

But customers seeking a direct alternative to the new class of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs via supplements will be disappointed, said Kumar.

While GLP-1 drugs are artificial mimickers of the hormone, supplement brands are targeted toward boosting the natural GLP-1 that is produced in the body through a wide range of different ingredients. But natural GLP-1 is broken down quickly by enzymes, while GLP-1 drugs are not — hence why they are so effective at curbing hunger for long periods of time, said Kumar.

One plant extract, berberine, has been touted as a GLP-1 drug alternative; Google searches for it have grown 31 percent over the past year through August 2024. But those claims have been debunked. Berberine sales for The Vitamin Shoppe peaked in June 2023 with 110 percent sales growth, but sales have flattened since the second quarter of 2024.

“The medication took 30 years to create because it is different from our natural GLP-1,” said Kumar. “There’s many food products, extracts, supplements, things out there that we can correlate to an increase in the level of GLP-1, but that’s completely different and really not related to what the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists have on someone.”

The New Normal

It’s not just semaglutide alternatives that are gaining traction, but products designed for those who are taking the shots themselves. It’s a market that seems to be growing by the day: As of May 2024, one in eight Americans have taken a GLP-1 medication, according to health policy research organisation KFF.

These offerings cater to all parts of a patient’s semaglutide journey, starting with the early days of using the drug — 26 percent of patients taking a GLP-1 drug discontinue use within three months, according to a recent study published in JAMA. While cost can be one reason for stopping, experts say that many patients are quitting due to the severity of the side effects such as nausea and dizziness. New products like SoWell’s latest launch are meant to help ease those side effects.

“If you just stop drinking, eating, just because the drug over-suppresses your appetite, you’re not going to feel well. You’re not going to have success on these medications,” said Dr. Sowa.

A variety of companies are getting in on the GLP-1 support market. Upscale gym chains including Equinox and Life Time have rolled out strength-focused training plans for members on GLP-1 drugs; Life Time also provides GLP-1 agonist injections at an onsite clinic. WeightWatchers, which recently acquired Sequence, a telehealth company that prescribes GLP-1 medicine, created a special diet plan for those on the drugs. Weight-loss brand Atkins, food and beverage company Nestlé and the nutrition arm of healthcare brand Abbott have created food products designed for GLP-1 agonist users.

Soon enough, there will be “tons of options available for the consumer,” said Huck.