‘Amazon wants to take over the totality of your consuming life’: KIRO hosts react to Amazon’s new weight-loss drug program

KIRO fill-in host Greg Tomlin sees Amazon’s new weight-loss drug program as just another market the Seattle-based retail giant is looking to dominate.

“What’s just interesting is that they’re entering the game,” Greg said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Amazon wants to take over the totality of your consuming life.”

“Whatever it might be,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill chimed in.

“Medicine, entertainment, food … ” Greg trailed off.

“We sell you too much food, we’re gonna sell you some weight loss drugs,” Spike joked.

Amazon One Medical launches GLP-1 management program

Amazon One Medical has launched its own GLP-1 management program with personalized treatments, according to a post on Amazon News.

GLP-1 agonists help regulate blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes, and some can also treat obesity, the Cleveland Clinic explained on its website.

GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the small intestine that performs several functions. It triggers insulin release from the pancreas, blocks glucagon secretion, slows stomach emptying, and increases the feeling of fullness after eating. GLP-1 medications mimic the hormone and bind to GLP-1 receptors to produce the same effects, meaning the higher the dose, the more pronounced the effects.

Through Amazon’s program, patients receive a pre-visit screening, consultations, and follow-up visits. Spike said Amazon offers the same discounts as GoodRx but noted that many insurers don’t cover weight-loss drugs, particularly for patients without a diabetes diagnosis.

Greg said that while Amazon makes it easy to buy everything in one place, he likes to diversify where he spends his money.

“I don’t ever want to be beholden to one company. I try to use Amazon sparingly these days,” he said. “Does it make my life more complicated? In some respects, yes. Do people who use Amazon for everything have a more streamlined process for recurring purchases, their digital ecosystem, etc? Yes. But for me, it’s a trade-off. My consumption is diversified, and I feel like that helps prevent the monopolization of something like Amazon.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.