The Hunger Game

‘One of the great strengths of Reuters journalist Aimee Donnellan’s first book is its insistence on framing the discovery of the new weight-loss drugs within the fraught social and cultural context of beauty norms, body image and health … Commendably, Donnellan is careful not to treat the GLP-1 drugs an unalloyed good’ Rachel Clarke, Guardian
‘It is a business commentary on one of the biggest blockbuster drug battlegrounds of all time, with facts and figures on the obesity crisis; it roams across the body positivity movement … and the tactics of food companies; it features anonymised magazine-style case studies of people who recount the shame and misery of being fat and how weight-loss jabs have changed their lives … it tries to disentangle exactly who deserves scientific credit for research underpinning the jabs’ Anjana Ahuja, Financial Times
‘A riveting and impeccably researched deep-dive into the murky world of drug development’ Josie Cox, author of Women Money Power
‘Off the Scales captures the many facets of this fast-moving story … Donnellan is a gifted storyteller who brings complicated subjects to life and offers a hopeful vision for how these therapies are transforming lives and reshaping our approach to health care’ Leana Wen, M.D., author of Lifelines
‘A tangled plot stuffed with big money, towering egos, and innovative science, capably told and without an ounce of flab … “The potential ripple effects of this healthcare revolution are difficult to overstate,” Donnellan comments, and she makes this abundantly clear in her rich, even action-packed narrative of medical discovery’Kirkus Review
’[An] enlightening debut history of Ozempic and its societal impact … Donnellan cogently sizes up its future potential: GLP-1 could lead to a healthier population empowered to demand healthier foods and living conditions, or it could further expand the gulf between rich and poor. It makes for an astute, fair-minded primer on the drug’ Publishers Weekly

Aimee Donnellan has been a columnist at Reuters for six years, where she has closely followed Big Pharma (among many other topics). Previously she was banking correspondent at the Sunday Times (London). She has been a journalist for over 15 years and started her career investigating the opaque worlds of hedge funds and online gambling. She also covered the bond market after the 2008 financial crash for the investment bankers’ bible, International Financing Review.

Aimee grew up in Galway in the west coast of Ireland and lives in London with her wife and two children.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.