An American senator said that a GLP-1 drug changed his life, and is now asking for generalized access to obesity medications.
In an opinion article of the New York Times on April 8, Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., He wrote about his experience with Mounjaro (Tirzepatide).
The injectable prescribed medication is mainly used to treat type 2 diabetes.
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Fetterman received the medicine in July 2025.
“As a stroke survivor, I was interested in studies that show [Mounjaro] It could significantly reduce the risk of important heart events, “the senator wrote.
Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., Walk to the camera in Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2025. In an opinion article on April 8, the senator of Pennsylvania wrote about his experience with Mounjaro (Tirzepatide). (Reuters)
“Although I began to take it for the health of the heart, I was surprised how much it has made me feel in all areas. It has had a significant impact on my general health,” he continued.
“The pains, the pains and the rigidity have disappeared. Physically, I feel a younger decade, as well as clearer and more optimistic than in years. As for side effects, I have also lost about 20 pounds.”
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Beyond reducing blood sugar, GLP-1 medications have also been linked to a variety of other benefits, including the best health of the heart, neurological function and metabolic health, as Fox News Digital reported.
Eli Lilly, Mounjaro manufacturer, also offers another version of the medicine called Zepbound, which is the same medication approved for weight loss, chronic weight control and sleep apnea.
Other GLP-1 medications include Ozempic, Wegovy, Victaza, Saxenda, all manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
Senator Fetterman is photographic in the White House on January 29, 2025. “As a survivor of stroke, he was interested in studies that show [Mounjaro] It could significantly reduce the risk of great heart events, “the senator wrote in an April opinion article. (Reuters)
Fetterman said that GLP-1 medications have been found to have beneficial effects on cholesterol, heart rate and cardiac inflammation.
“Some recent studies suggest that they could even help stop alcohol addiction and support cognitive function, potentially decelerating or avoiding conditions such as Parkinson and Alzheimer’s Parkinson,” he wrote in the Times opinion article.
“Physically, I feel a younger decade, as well as clearer and more optimistic than it had been in years.”
In the opinion article, Fetterman requested expanded access to these medications, which can cost up to $ 1,000 from their pocket if they are not covered by the insurance.
“Currently, Medicare covers these medications only in specific circumstances, such as diabetes or the highest heart risk,” he wrote. “And Medicaid coverage is even more limited.”
Fetterman added that he was not compensated for sharing his experience.
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“I am only a guy who has benefited from these medications and wants to make sure that any other person who can benefit from them can also have access to them,” he wrote.
While Fetterman shares HHS Sec. The opinions of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to prioritize nutrition and healthy life, he said he believes that medications are necessary for some.
Eli Lilly, Mounjaro manufacturer, also offers another version of the medicine called Zepbound, which is the same medication approved for weight loss, chronic weight control and sleep apnea. (Istock)
“I totally agree that diet and lifestyle are important, much. But the diet itself is not enough,” he wrote.
“For the millions of Americans fighting with serious health problems, medicines can be a first crucial step to recover enough health control to start making significant changes in lifestyle.”
Doctors discuss benefits and access
Dr. Marc Siegel, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Senior Medical Analyst of Nyu Langone Health and Fox News, said that semaglutidos, including Ozempic and Wogovy, are “very important medications” for type 2 diabetes, with an increasing use of obesity.
“Although these medications seem to have beneficial uses for the heart and lipid profile, and also for the brain and the reduction of the risk of dementia, the studies are in progress and more data is still needed,” he told Fox News Digital.
The first approach to obesity is the changes in the lifestyle, including exercise, improved diet and optimal dream, Siegel said.
“That said, these weight loss medications (including Zepbound) are also good tools when lifestyle is not enough,” he said.
Fetterman was prescribed by Mounjaro to obtain possible health health benefits. (Getty images)
“They help prevent descending diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, which tend to come from obesity.”
He added: “In general, we are saving money to the health system, so I would like to see that Medicare and Medicaid approve them for diabetes and weight loss.”
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Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, said he has been recipes GLP-1 to his patients since 2019.
“Mounjaro and its cousins are not just weight loss tools, they are metabolic restart buttons,” he told Fox News Digital.
Beyond the reduction of blood sugar, GLP-1 medications have also been related to a variety of other benefits, including the best health of the heart, neurological function and metabolic health. (Istock)
“People with metabolic syndrome do not need conferences on the curly and the importance of exercise. They need help.”
Osborn agreed that the lifestyle is essential, but it is “rarely enough.”
“LPG-1 give patients impulse by filming the ball,” he said. “And when that happens, health habits are formed. The diet improves. The movement improves. People begin to feel the benefits of a healthy life.”
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Osborn said that these medications are not cosmetics, but therapeutic.
“I have seen what they can do first hand: reductions in body fat, inflammation, glucose, triglycerides and insulin resistance, and with them, significant reductions in the incidence of stroke and heart attack.”
“I think this is a signal directed directly to Big Pharma.”
The administration of President Donald Trump recently announced that Medicare and Medicaid would not cover the medications, as the Medicare and Medicaid service centers said on Friday night.
Osborn said the movement to block coverage probably has nothing to do with efficiency.
“Trump knows that these medications work,” said Osborn. “I think this is a signal directed directly to Big Pharma: ‘Lower the price, or Medicare, the largest buyer in the block, is out'”.
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“This is not a dismissal, it’s leverage,” said Osborn.
“President Trump will probably negotiate until the” price is correct, “unraveling Big Pharma, while concomitantly improving the health of Americans.”
