A new class of very effective — and very expensive — weight-loss drugs has emerged.

Initially designed to manage diabetes, these drugs — called GLP-1 agonists — are being prescribed "off-label" to help anyone seeking to lose serious weight.

We were curious -- not about the product itself -- but about the numbers behind the product.. But first, some numbers and some context:

• 7 out of  10

  Number of Americans who are overweight or obese — making the United States the fattest developed country in the world.

  Why isn't the US the fattest country?

  
  USA! USA!
  Well, it depends on how you define the "fattest" country.
  
  If you judge based on the NUMBER of fat people, the US is hands down #1. With a total estimated population of 330 million people, the United States has roughly 220 million obese or overweight people — the highest number of fat people on the planet.
  
  If you judge based on the PERCENTAGE (or PROPORTION) of fat people, the US is usually between #12 and #15. Why?
  Because in some countries in the South Pacific, the proportion of fat people is as high as 9 out of 10. That means that: 9 out of every 10 people in those countries, are overweight.
  
  In "skinny" America, the proportion is only (only!) 7 out of 10. Which is why the US is not always considered the fattest nation.

• $237.56

  Average cost of a single "pen" or injection of weight-loss medication.

  Users require 4 to 5 injections per month.

  What does that mean?

  To use the medication as prescribed, patients must give themselves 1 injection — 1 dose — of the drug every week. This means every month, they are taking 4 doses.
  
  Please note that you cannot (and should not) buy an individual pen/injection. These drugs are sold in monthly packs (with 4 or 5 pens per pack).

• 66.7%

  Percent of weight lost that is regained within 1 year of stopping weight-loss medication.

  What does that mean?

  Let's say that you lose 100 lbs while taking weight-loss injections. That was your goal — congrats! — so you decide to stop taking the medication. Good!
  In the year after stopping, you will gain back 67 of those 100 lbs that you lost.
  
  [ 100 - 67 = 33. ]
  So, a year after stopping, you will be only 33lbs lighter than when you first started on the medication. Your overal weight loss is 33lbs, not 100.
  Sucks, right?

• $13690

  Total cost in US Dollars for a 12-month supply of the new weight-loss medications

  Which medications did you include?

  We looked exclusively at the new class of weight-loss drugs that are referred to as GLP-1 agonists or incretin mimetics. They act like the hormones in your body that make you feel full longer or signal you to stop eating or drinking.
  
  The most popular of those drugs are: Victoza™, Ozempic™, Wegovy™, Mounjaro™, Saxenda™, and Rybelsus™,
  For the purpose of our calculations, we concentrated on these 3 drugs we were asked most about: Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy.

• 5x

  How much cheaper these new weight-loss drugs are in Europe vs. the U.S. Europeans pay up to 5 times less for these medications than Americans do.

  Why is that?

  There are not enough hours in the day to discuss all the reasons why so many things — especially health-related things — are much more expensive in America than elsewhere in the world.
  
  The quickest answer, with regards to the high cost of medication, is that governments around the world negotiate the prices of drugs with pharmaceutical companies. In the U.S., no negotiating takes place, so those same drug companies can charge whatever price they like.
  
  Bear in mind, also, that the cost of developing a new drug is very high: $1billion to 2billion by some estimates. So pharmaceutical companies are keen to recoup their expenditures.