Intuitive Surgical Stock: The Dark Horse in the Massive Anti-Obesity Market

There's been growing excitement in the anti-obesity market in recent years. New GLP-1 drugs have been providing patients with highly effective and relatively safe ways to achieve significant weight loss. People can lose more than 20% of their body weight, reduce their cardiovascular risk, and become much healthier in the process.

But there's a catch. A problem with GLP-1 medications is that many people who stop taking them regain all the weight that they lost. In some cases, they may become even heavier. On top of this, the drugs can come with troubling side effects, making it challenging to stick with them for the long term.

For many patients, they've turned to another option: weight loss surgery. A possible big winner here is Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG). Here's why it can potentially be a dark horse in the anti-obesity market, and why it can be an excellent buy today.

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Why bariatric surgery could make more sense for patients in the long run

Surgery can be a costly option for patients to consider, but it may end up being the more practical one in the long run. According to a recent study, bariatric surgery was found to be a far more effective treatment for obesity than GLP-1 weight loss drugs. In a study of more than 50,000 patients, those who opted for surgery lost 58 pounds (on average) after two years, versus just 12 pounds for those who used popular GLP-1 drugs.

Even in the long run, much of the weight may still remain off with surgery. Data suggests that bariatric surgery patients may experience a regain of some weight after a few years, but it may not be as drastic as with GLP-1 drugs. In the case of gastric bypass surgery, after 10 years, the amount of a patient's excess weight loss has been around 52%, versus 65% at the one-year mark.

Intuitive's da Vinci surgical system provides patients with a minimally invasive option for bariatric surgery and can thus benefit those with long-term needs for practical weight-loss solutions.

Intuitive Surgical stock can make for an excellent long-term buy

Although it's been a tough year thus far for Intuitive Surgical, whose shares are down more than 20%, the company has the potential to help revolutionize healthcare, and thus, can be a great long-term investment. Last year, its top line hit $10.1 billion in revenue, up from $8.4 billion in the previous year. And with strong profit margins of around 28%, the business is in an excellent position to grow in value over the long term.

While growth investors may be loading up on promising GLP-1 stocks, Intuitive Surgical shouldn't be overlooked, as its upside could be significant in the long run, particularly in the anti-obesity market.

David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2028 $520 calls on Intuitive Surgical and short January 2028 $530 calls on Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.