What's New?
Elon Musk has admitted to taking a weight-loss drug in a Christmas Day post on X, formerly Twitter, as he shared a picture of himself wearing a Santa costume.
"Ozempic Santa," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted alongside a photo of himself in the classic red outfit and white beard.
In the replies, Musk then clarified: "Technically, Mounjaro, but that doesn't have the same ring to it."
Why It Matters
Like Ozempic, Mounjaro, the brand name for tirzepatide, is an injectable type-2 diabetes medication taken once a week, which is also used as an anti-obesity medication.
Alongside diet and exercise, the drug helps individuals "lose weight and keep their weight under control," according to the European Medicines Agency, and is most commonly used by those with high body mass indexes, and those suffering from high blood-fat levels, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Mounjaro, which is manufactured by the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, in 2022.
What To Know
Musk, alongside fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, has been tapped to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during the next administration.
The advisory body, which President-elect Donald Trump said was the brainchild of the Tesla CEO, will supposedly help to enact structural reform in the federal government through informing the president about cumbersome regulations, departments that could be scrapped and wide-scale cost-saving efforts.
"DOGE will present this list of regulations to President Trump, who can, by executive action, immediately pause the enforcement of those regulations and initiate the process for review and rescission," Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in a November article for The Wall Street Journal. "This would liberate individuals and businesses from illicit regulations never passed by Congress and stimulate the U.S. economy."
What People Are Saying
One user on X, in response to Musk's Christmas post: "Santa needs to put some meat on his bones."
Musk had previously admitted to taking the now-widely used drug Ozempic, telling a Twitter user in November 2022 that "fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy + no tasty food near me," had allowed him to shed 30 pounds. Wegovy and Ozempic share the same active ingredient, semaglutide.
What Happens Next?
Aside from his leading position in DOGE, Musk is anticipated to play a significant role in the White House following Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Criticism from the billionaire was already credited with tanking a bipartisan temporary spending bill intended to prevent a government shutdown last week, spawning a flurry of "President Musk" jokes from Democratic lawmakers.
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