As diabetes and weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have been on the rise in recent years, many people have turned away from established diet and nutrition products.
Now two retailers specializing in nutritional supplements — GNC and Vitamin Shoppe — are trying new approaches to attract people who take these drugs or are interested in taking them.
GNC dedicates a supplement wall in its more than 2,300 stores to products it believes will appeal to people who take Ozempic, which contains the compound semaglutide, and other medications known as GLP-1 drugs. The chain also trains employees to help customers assess which substances might help them manage common side effects of these prescription medications.
Michael Costello, chief executive of GNC, said his company sees a “huge opportunity” to help people taking such weight-loss drugs.
“As we looked at the trends with people, where people are going, Ozempic and of course Wegovy and other GLP-1s started exploding,” Mr. Costello said in an interview. “We found that many of these medications had significant side effects.”
It’s not clear exactly how many Americans are taking Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs, but Mr. Costello pointed to a Goldman Sachs study that estimates up to 70 million Americans will have tried the drugs by 2028.
GNC believes it can expand its weight management category through this push. Currently, less than 10 percent of GNC’s business comes from its weight management products, but recently sales in the category have increased by more than 20 percent.
Retailers, food companies and other companies are all trying to figure out how Ozempic and similar drugs will hurt or help their businesses and what, if anything, they should do about it.
In October, Walmart, which has a large pharmacy business, said it found that people taking GLP-1 drugs bought slightly fewer groceries than other customers. The month before, an executive at Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, expressed optimism that consumers would turn to lean cuisine meals, which are “exactly what you would end up eating with such drugs.” And health club chains Life Time Fitness and Equinox offer exercise programs tailored to people taking medications.
GNC executives said they have assembled more than 20 products that can be used to treat common side effects such as occasional fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, reduced bone density and loss of muscle mass. Some of these products have already been sold, but others are new to the retailer. Supplements include once-daily women’s multivitamins, ginger root capsules, and a chocolate lean shake. There are signs on the wall listing side effects, next to shelves of supplements that can alleviate them.
None of the supplements GNC offers in its redesigned store were specifically made for or clinically tested on users of the new weight loss drugs. Medical experts say most people can get all the nutrients they need through a balanced diet. Additionally, experts say some supplements may not be effective and could have side effects of their own.
“Most patients do not need nutritional supplements,” said Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, an assistant professor at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, whose research focuses on reducing obesity. She also treats patients taking GLP-1 medications.
Executives at the retail chains said they curated the assortment in their displays after consulting with outside doctors, toxicologists, nutritionists and other experts.
“All recommendations GNC makes on GLP-1 support are consistent with the scientific rationale, the results of our consultations with physicians, and review of the positions of recognized experts on this topic,” said Rachel Jones, Chief Product Innovation and Science Officer of GNC, in a statement.
Some retailers have taken it a step further. The Vitamin Shoppe has partnered with WellSync, a telemedicine company that fills prescriptions for GLP-1 medications. It’s the first time the Vitamin Shoppe, founded in 1977, has partnered with another company to offer customers a pharmaceutical option — a sign of how seriously retail executives take Ozempic and its relatives.
“I think there’s no question that we’ve seen people say, ‘Hey, if this isn’t something you offer, I’m going to look somewhere else,'” Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright said in a statement Interview.
In a Vitamin Shoppe survey of more than 1,500 customers, 40 percent of respondents said they were “very” or “extremely likely” to use a telehealth service offered by the retail chain. Mr. Wright said the realization that some employees in his stores were already taking GLP-1 drugs helped him work with WellSync.
The Vitamin Shoppe distances itself from the evaluation and prescribing process, which includes an online questionnaire about medical history and goals and, in some cases, a live video interview with a licensed medical provider. (One of the questions concerns body mass index.) WellSync manages this process, including collaboration with doctors. The companies have created a subscription service called Whole Health Rx that starts at $219.
To lure people back to the chain, the Vitamin Shoppe is offering subscribers a $25 coupon to redeem at its stores or on its website.
Similar to GNC, the Vitamin Shoppe highlights products like protein powder at its locations to attract people taking Ozempic or similar medications. By early May, Vitamin Shoppe and its sister brand Super Supplements will promote their telehealth partnership with displays in all 700 stores and provide a QR code directing consumers to the telehealth portal.
The GLP-1-related supplement market is fairly new. There have been no meaningful studies testing the effectiveness of such products in relieving the discomfort associated with taking these medications. And some doctors say many of the common side effects of weight-loss medications can be easily treated or lessen over time, reducing the need for long-term supplement use.
Dr. For example, Hurtado Andrade said that instead of recommending probiotic supplements that contain live microorganisms such as bacteria, she encourages her patients to consume foods that contain these microorganisms, such as yogurt or kefir. After a detailed assessment, in some cases she has recommended protein shakes, powders and supplements to patients who are not getting enough protein, she said.
“I think that such medical monitoring is extremely important because we can actually mitigate or reduce the frequency of serious side effects that I think could occur if patients were not closely monitored,” said Dr. Hurtado Andrade.
Executives at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe said their employees — whom they describe as health enthusiasts or trainers — would not fill in for medical professionals. Executives also said companies’ approaches and strategies were developed in consultation with employee nutritionists.
“We don’t want our health enthusiasts trying to take action,” said Mr. Wright of the Vitamin Shoppe. “They are not doctors. They are not trying to give medical advice at all.”
GNC’s Mr. Costello said his employees have been trained to be empathetic to the challenges. To that end, he asked retail workers to watch Oprah Winfrey’s recent special on Ozempic. The company also taught them to ask “lifestyle questions” before suggesting supplements, such as “What are your goals?” and “What are you currently doing to achieve your goals?”
That’s all well and good, said Dr. Hurtado Andrade, but she worries that retail workers aren’t as knowledgeable about how to interpret and treat symptoms as medical professionals. This requires knowing what questions should be asked and what trained physicians and providers are trained to do, she said.
“I don’t think a retailer will be able to think through the questions that need to be asked to reduce that difference and understand what the diarrhea or other side effect is related to,” she said.
But those concerns likely won’t stop retailers and supplement makers from diving deeper into a market that many analysts believe will grow quickly.
Four years ago, before Ozempic became a blockbuster drug, Supergut, a Los Angeles-based company, began selling prebiotic supplements that feed microorganisms. The company marketed these products, such as shakes and snack bars, as a way to control blood sugar levels, among other things.
Two years ago, Supergut began highlighting the potential gut health benefits of its products and dedicated a section of its website to GLP-1 drugs.
“In this way we will connect with consumer awareness,” said Marc Washington, managing director of Supergut. “We are very relevant to this time and to this Ozempic era,” he added.
In the last six months, sales have quadrupled, he said. GNC is stocking Supergut on its shelves in the GLP-1 section of its stores, the first time the brand has been sold in a national chain. Mr. Washington said he was also talking to other national retailers.
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2024-04-29 23:03:41
www.nytimes.com
