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UPS and FedEx face rising cold-chain shipping demand from GLP-1 drugs
A Gallup poll found 11% of Americans took a GLP-1 for weight loss in July 2026, up from 3% in 2024, boosting demand for temperature-controlled delivery.
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx are increasingly betting on cold-chain logistics as GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes medications require refrigerated transport, according to analysis by Yahoo Finance.
The article notes that the FDA has warned GLP-1 drugs can lose effectiveness if they arrive warm or without sufficient refrigeration, while the WHO estimates temperature problems contribute to half of all vaccine waste worldwide, costing $35 billion per year.
Demand signals are also strengthening, with a Gallup poll showing 11% of Americans used a GLP-1 for weight loss in 2026, up from 3% in 2024, and KFF estimating about one in eight adults had used a GLP-1 for any reason as of late 2025.
UPS is cited as an example of how the trend is being pursued, including its first $3 billion healthcare revenue quarter earlier this year, a $48 million investment in 27 temperature-controlled facilities, and prior acquisitions in cold-chain services, while the piece adds that Tomé previously told Reuters that healthcare is “pretty recession-proof.”