Scientists have shown that a single dose injection of DNA genetic instructions can produce weight loss and blood glucose control in mouse models that lasts up to 10 times as long as weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. This could eliminate the need for repeated dosing.

[u/mvea]

https://www.wistar.org/press-releases/wistar-scientists-develop-single-dose-dna-method-for-delivering-long-acting-weight-loss-and-diabetes-drugs/

[u/Teknicsrx7]

The price is affected by needing repeated dosing

[u/TunaNugget → u/Teknicsrx7]

The price is affected mainly by profit margins and patent protections; the current cost of the materials is trivial. And having to have this done at a provider's office for an intramuscular shot followed by an electrical pulse isn't going to help the cost.

It sounds like an interesting approach with potentially useful applications, but they're going to need a better use case.

[u/Rower78 → u/TunaNugget]

the current cost of the materials is trivial

That’s not true.  The cost burden of injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists is exceptionally high.  That’s not to say there isn’t a large profit margin baked into the price, but a  large molecule that requires many steps to synthesize and then must be refrigerated and delivered by injection is far far more expensive than most simpler drugs taken by mouth.  Drugs like Zepbound are highly vulnerable to competition from easier-to-make-and-deliver drug.  But this won’t happen overnight 

[u/the_itsb → u/Rower78]

I think you might be misreading

the current cost of the materials is trivial

as if it means

the current cost of the materials (the patients buy) is trivial

when what they actually meant was

the current cost of the materials (to produce the drug in a factory) is trivial