Ireland is shipping an unexpected—and incredibly valuable—cargo to the U.S. this year: $36 billion worth of hormones used in blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. These shipments are so massive that they’ve pushed Ireland, a small country of just five million, into becoming America’s second-largest trade deficit partner, right behind China.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just a quirky trade stat—it’s a sign of how explosively in-demand these drugs have become. The fact that hormones are now more valuable than gold in U.S.-Ireland trade shows how much the pharmaceutical industry (and Ireland’s role in it) is booming. For patients, it’s a reminder of the huge market behind these life-changing medications—and maybe a hint that supply could finally be catching up to demand.

Eli Lilly is expanding access to higher doses of its weight-loss drug Zepbound, making the 12.5 mg and 15 mg options available for direct purchase on its website at $499 per month. This move targets self-paying patients who may struggle to secure prescriptions or insurance coverage for these doses.

A fresh study is putting weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy head-to-head with bariatric surgery—and the results might surprise you. NBC’s Dr. Natalie Azar breaks down which option packs a bigger punch for shedding pounds, along with the pros and cons of each. Think of it as a showdown between a weekly shot and going under the knife, with science calling the shots.