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Melissa Baird, a health care executive based in Seattle knows first-hand the stigma around weight at work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI struggled with weight my whole adult life,\u201d Baird, COO of Hims & Hers Health, a telehealth and wellness pharmaceutical company that sells prescription over-the-counter medication, tells Fortune <\/em>in an exclusive interview. Now, Baird\u2019s commitment to her job is attributable to much more than cashing in her return on investment in a rapidly growing industry. She has a personal stake in the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n In May, the company, which had been growing over 50% in revenue year over year, began offering compounded GLP-1s<\/a>\u2014a type of injectable weight loss drug for people with obesity. Baird became their third customer.\u00a0<\/p>\n The demand for weight loss drugs<\/a>, which can cost upwards of $1,000 per month before insurance, has skyrocketed, leading to nationwide shortages. Compounded semaglutide GLP-1s, which have the same active ingredients as the wildly popular Ozempic<\/a> and Wegovy<\/a>, is how Baird\u2019s company is filling the gap. <\/p>\n \u201cI knew exactly what the supply chain looked like. I was like, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m gonna try these.\u2019\u201d\u00a0Hims & Hers Health predicts their compounded GLP-1 offering\u2014which has an out-of-pocket price tag starting at $199\u2014will generate $100 million by the end of 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Baird began to notice how her weight gain during the pandemic inhibited her from partaking in the activities that bring her joy. And working from home with a demanding job that kept her at her desk into the evening hours made it harder to adhere to a strict eating schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t getting down on the floor to play with my baby nephew because I was worried I wouldn\u2019t be able to get up off the floor,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI was so out of shape and so heavy that I was worried my knees wouldn\u2019t be able to support me getting up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Baird has a family history of high blood pressure and obesity, and her grandmother developed late-onset diabetes. She remembers watching the women in her family attend Weight Watchers <\/a>meetings and struggle to maintain a healthy weight. In 2022, Baird dedicated herself to making exercise<\/a> and lifestyle changes to propel her toward a healthier weight and reduce her risk of developing the chronic conditions that ran in her family. She hired a trainer because she said a typical online workout felt too advanced, and she tested out a myriad of diets, including Weight Watchers, the 30-10 diet, and keto<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her approach worked initially. Baird lost 30 pounds and felt more energized. However, the weight loss<\/a> stalled, and no amount of diet and exercise was working.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI crossed the barrier into the 40s, so losing weight started getting a little more difficult,\u201d Baird, now 46, says, recalling that it was much easier to maintain a healthy weight in her 20s.<\/p>\n When Hims & Hers Health began investing in the weight management market, Baird knew she wanted to try the GLP-1 injections right away. In the last two months, Baird says the drugs have helped her lose weight and have also improved her metabolism. <\/p>\n The market for GLP-1s has been booming for the last couple of years. The drugs trigger the release of insulin to lower blood sugar, slow the emptying of the stomach, and affect the areas of the brain that process hunger so people feel more satiated or full.<\/p>\n As one in eight<\/a> people live with obesity, which increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and early mortality, the drugs have garnered a lot of attention as a way to help treat the condition.\u00a0At the same time, this groundbreaking treatment has sparked backlash. People who take them have admitted feeling criticized for not having the willpower to lose weight on their own. Others, who forgo the drugs, sometimes say they fear they will be shamed for not taking control of their health. Neither could be further from the truth, Baird says, who is ready to change the fatphobic <\/a>narrative\u2014especially in the workplace. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have a really hard time understanding the argument where you would shame someone for wanting to be a healthier person. That just doesn\u2019t make sense to me,\u201d she says. \u201cIn my mind, I\u2019m a little immune to that because I just don\u2019t see how you wanting to be a better, healthier person that can chase your baby nephew around the living room floor is a bad, shameful thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nThe path to GLP-1s<\/h2>\n
Weight loss drugs and changing the conversation<\/h2>\n