Beer Brewers Nonchalant About Blockbuster Weight-Loss Drugs Like Wegovy

Executives from a pair of the world’s largest beer companies say they have no concerns about a blockbuster weight-loss drugs.

Executives from food companies have fretted about Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic, which suppress appetite.

But beer makers like Carlsberg and AB InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, say they have yet to see a disruption in their business, and aren't concerned about future disruptions.

AB InBev chief executive Michel Doukeris told Reuters that concerns about the weight-loss medication are similar to concerns about disruptions when marijuana was legalized in many states.

That’s not something the beer industry worries about anymore, he said.

"Two years down the road and that conversation is gone," Doukeris said.

Carlsberg chief executive Jacob Aarup-Andersen was similarly nonchalant in an interview with Reuters.

Retailers have not reported any impact on sales of Carlsberg beer, he said.

"It's early days and we can be proven wrong, but we are relaxed about it," Aarup-Andersen said.

Wegovy was prescribed as a medication to help manage type 2 diabetes in December, but it has since emerged as an effective weight-loss drug and prescriptions have skyrocketed.

Nearly 9 million people were prescribed Wegovy or Ozempic, another blockbuster weight-loss drug, in the last three months of 2022, according to CNBC.