Off the Scales

The inside story of the race to develop Ozempic – the world’s first truly effective and safe obesity drug – and its potentially revolutionary effects on public health, and our deeper culture and values.

'ENLIGHTENING' Publishers Weekly

A ‘cure’ for obesity has long evaded the pharmaceutical industry, until the development of Ozempic: a diabetes medication that targets the GLP-1 hormone and makes people feel fuller for longer.

Ozempic’s creator, Novo Nordisk, quickly rose to be the most valuable company in Europe. Now it struggles to keep up with rivals in an explosive and lucrative market for weight-loss injections. The treatment is so effective that it’s already disrupted industries from healthcare to fast food to fashion. Financial investment has skyrocketed and public demand continues to soar alongside celebrity endorsements. Beyond the million-dollar profits, countless lives could be saved from preventable diseases, but one question remains: Are these drugs too good to be true?

Through original reporting and rigorous research, Aimee Donnellan uncovers the complicated history of a medical breakthrough that is changing the world, while raising difficult questions about inequality, morality, our beauty ideals and the pursuit of thinness. Along the way, Donnellan profiles the female scientist whose contributions to the discovery of GLP-1 were overlooked and some of the earliest Ozempic users share powerful testimonies.

Off the Scales is a revelatory, gripping and urgent study of the unexpected consequences of finally getting what we’ve wanted for so long.

'The definitive account of a singular global force – essential reading to help us understand what has been unleashed and what may be coming next' Andy Slavitt, author of Preventable

'A riveting and impeccably researched deep-dive into the murky world of drug development' Josie Cox, author of Women Money Power

'Donnellan captures the drama behind the science … and explores the wider implications for society, health and business in this deeply researched book' John Collingridge, Guardian business editor