GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) have been widely adopted as a pharmaceutical treatment for obesity. Marketed as a breakthrough intervention, they are positioned as a solution to one of the most pressing public health challenges of the modern era. However, while GLP-1s lead to weight loss, they do not restore metabolic health. Their effects are drug-dependent, and clinical data show that once treatment stops, weight regain is common, and metabolic markers often revert to baseline. 1 The core issue is this: obesity is a symptom, not the root cause of metabolic dysfunction. Effective long-term health solutions require addressing insulin resistance, mitochondrial function, and metabolic flexibility. Weight loss alone does not resolve these underlying issues. This paper outlines why GLP-1s should be understood as a tool for symptom management rather than a cure for metabolic disease. GLP-1s fit into the modern healthcare model as a chronic treatment, not a curative intervention. 2 The pharmaceutical industry optimizes for long-term drug reliance, and the systemic incentives of medicine prioritize weight loss as a measurable outcome, even if metabolic dysfunction remains. This paper highlights why GLP-1s succeed as a business model while failing to provide true metabolic restoration. This analysis serves as a case study that directly applies the systemic failures outlined in The Chronic Crisis, Metabolic Overload, and Metabolic Eating. These papers provide a deeper examination of the structural, biological, and behavioral factors contributing to the modern health crisis. Understanding GLP-1s within this broader context clarifies how modern medicine approaches metabolic disease-not by fixing the system, but by managing symptoms in a way that sustains long-term pharmaceutical dependence.