There’s a Guy in Washington Fighting for Your GLP-1, and You’ve Probably Never Heard of Him
Meet Joe Nadglowski of the Obesity Action Coalition
You’ve heard of Lilly. You’ve heard of Novo. You’ve heard of PBMs, prior authorizations, shortages, and savings cards (that don’t save enough).
But you probably haven’t heard of Joe Nadglowski.
He doesn’t run a drug company. He runs a nonprofit.
And he might be the only person in Washington whose full-time job is fighting for your right to stay on your obesity medication.
He’s the President of the Obesity Action Coalition, and if you're on a GLP-1 or struggling to stay on it, this conversation might change the way you see the system, and where the fight is headed.
👇 Watch or Download the interview and keep reading.
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Why The OAC and Joe’s Voices Matter
Joe doesn’t just lead the OAC. He’s lived it. Like a lot of us, he’s tried nearly every behavioral program and seven different obesity medications. He’s also never had his obesity care covered by insurance, not once, in twenty years.
And yet, he’s one of the leading voices making sure obesity is treated like the chronic disease it is. The OAC has pushed the FDA to include actual patients on its advisory panels. They’ve helped shape the guidelines that led to the approval of meds like Contrave, Qsymia, and eventually the GLP-1s we talk about every day.
But the real reason I brought Joe on was to talk about the thing that matters most:
Access.
Because none of this matters if people can’t get it.
A Broken System by Design
We talked about the reality most patients live in:
If you have money, you get care.
If you don’t, you’re out of luck.
That’s not a medicine problem. That’s a system problem.
And when the system blocks access to FDA-approved medications, people do what they’ve always done when they’re desperate: they find a workaround.
On Compounded Medications
Let’s address this head-on.
Yes, the OAC’s official position is that they do not support compounded GLP-1 medications. Their concern is about safety, quality, and the difficulty of separating good compounders from the bad actors.
But Joe said something in this interview that I think everyone in the community needs to hear:
“This is a systems problem, not an individual problem. I do not blame a single person who is utilizing a compounded product. I understand it.”
He also acknowledged the current chaos, where hundreds of thousands of patients are turning to research-grade GLP-1s, far riskier than any FDA-registered compounder ever was.
So yes, there’s tension. But if we’re all aligned in one direction, it’s this:
🧭 People deserve access to safe, affordable, effective treatment, without having to gamble on gray-market solutions.
What the OAC Is Doing Right Now
Joe and the OAC are:
Pushing for PBM reform and transparent pricing
Participating in Inflation Reduction Act drug price negotiations (yep, the only obesity patient group at the table)
Reintroducing the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act for the eighth time to expand Medicare coverage
Advocating for the inclusion of real treatments, not just diet and exercise, in clinical trial control arms
And in July, they’re taking patients to Capitol Hill as part of the Your Weight Matters Convention in D.C. to make sure lawmakers hear directly from the people living this every day.
🗓️ More info: YWMConvention.com
Why This Matters for You
If you’re on a compounded med…
If you’ve ever been denied a prior authorization…
If you’ve rationed doses, skipped refills, or been told “we don’t cover weight loss”…
You’re not alone.
And Joe Nadglowski and the OAC are in the room, advocating for all of us.
This interview is worth your time. Watch it. Share it. Get involved.
And if you want to take action right now:
👉 Visit obesityaction.org/action-center
You can email your representatives in less than 60 seconds.