South Park The end of obesity

 

The GLP-1 revolution has headed on up to South Park.

The long-running adult comedy show recently released South Park: The End of Obesity, a special on Paramount+ skewering the ongoing weight-loss drug craze.

The major plotline follows Eric Cartman’s pursuit of GLP-1 drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy as well as Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound to address his obesity, curb his appetite and allow him to indulge in what he considers the finer things in life as a thin person.

A subplot centers on several members of the town using the drugs off-label for cosmetic weight loss as well as the drugs’ impact on the broader economy.

The special also features pointed jokes and songs about the ongoing issues surrounding these drugs — including high costs, limited insurance coverage, adverse side effects, the unregulated nature of compound pharmacies and lingering supply shortages.

Medical marketers who watch the special should take note of the fact that South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker clearly did their homework.

Not only are the drugs, their composition, efficacy and clinical indication addressed explicitly in the show, the complex nature of the American healthcare system is explored in a blisteringly satirical way.

Notably, a musical interlude early on in the show underscores how antiquated and complicated our nation’s healthcare system is.

While hyperbolic in nature, the four main characters are ping-ponged between physicians requiring copious amounts of paperwork and insurers demanding additional clinical documentation to cover these expensive treatments. 

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