Looks like WeightWatchers is continuing to lean into the Ozempic boom. On Thursday, the company launched WeightWatchers GLP-1 — a new membership program for people who are on semaglutide medications for weight loss. For $99 a month (not including the cost of medication), the membership, which was developed with obesity specialists, dietitians and fitness experts, will help people create and maintain healthy goals.
WeightWatchers’ venture into the weight-loss-drug space isn’t much of a surprise: In March, it acquired Sequence, a digital subscription service that connects patients with health-care practitioners who can administer semaglutide drugs. In a press release, WeightWatchers’ chief scientific officer, Gary Foster, said that the company has noticed that “people taking GLP-1 medications need help with a different set of behavioral challenges in comparison to people not on these medications,” and that’s what the company plans to capitalize on.
The increased focus on Ozempic rather than emphasizing dieting and exercising is part of a broader WeightWatchers shift, its CEO Sima Sistani told Time. “We are no longer a consumer retail brand; we are a digital health company,” she said.
The news comes days after the company’s primary celebrity ambassador — Oprah — revealed that she has been taking weight-loss medication in addition to exercising and maintaining a healthy diet. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself,” she said, referring to using weight-loss drugs.
