Ozempic is a popular weight-loss supplement. The appetite-suppressing medicine was originally designed for diabetics since it reduces blood sugar
and regulates insulin. But the off-label usage of Ozempic for weight loss has increased so much that it may be lowering Walmart food sales.
"We definitely do see a slight change compared to the total population, we do see a slight pullback in [the] overall basket," Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner told Bloomberg.
Despite buying less food, weight-loss medication users "tend to spend more with us overall," chief financial officer John David Rainey told
"The trends we see in general merchandise sales make us feel more optimistic about those categories in the back half of the year."
The announcement comes amid Ozempic's scandal. The simple but worrying truth that many abuse Ozempic for weight loss might have
serious negative effects. Dr. Janice Jin Hwang, chief of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine's endocrinology and metabolism
section, told The New York Times, "These drugs were not designed for normal-weight people who want to get down to be super thin."