As Muslims observe Ramadan from March through early April — fasting from sunrise to sunset — stand-up comedian and actor Ramy Youssef believes blockbuster weight loss drugs can help make fasting easier.

At least that was the concept in a sketch during this past weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live.

Youssef helmed a skit titled “Ozempic for Ramadan,” in which the popular GLP-1 injection makes it easier for practicing Muslims to abstain from food.

“Fasting for Ramadan used to be easy, but the last few years with work and a growing family, it’s felt almost impossible,” Youssef says in the video. “But not anymore. Thanks for Ozempic for Ramadan.”

“I used to rush to eat a whole meal before dawn,” he adds. “But now, I just grab my prayer beads and my Ozempic needles. As long as I shoot up before the sun rises, it’s halal.”

SNL actors including Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim and Andrew Dismukes were also involved in the sketch, all jokingly using Ozempic in various situations to curb hunger — such as Thompson taking the shot to avoid hunger pangs while working a halal cart.

Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro have stolen the spotlight in the last few years as high-profile celebrities from Oprah to Elon Musk as well as TikTok influencers have touted losing weight on the drugs.

Given their widespread popularity and SNL’s finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist, the show has often lampooned this class of prescription drugs.

Last year, SNL incorporated the weight loss drugs into another sketch about the Academy Awards, in which the opening statement pointed to the event being sponsored by Ozempic. That included the slogan, “Ozempic: I guess everyone in Hollywood has diabetes!”

Similar to Pfizer and Moderna becoming household names during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ozempic and Wegovy hold similar sway in the cultural sphere now.

The names have also trended on TikTok in various ways, from “budget Ozempic,” “Ozempic babies” and “nature’s Ozempic.”

The momentum behind these medications is unlikely to abate going forward.

According to pharma analysts, GLP-1 drugs are expected to surpass PD-1 inhibitors like Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo as being the best-selling drugs from 2024 onwards. Kevin Marcaida, a pharma analyst at GlobalData, noted the pharma landscape is “undergoing a transformative shift.”

GLP-1 drugs including Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro are expected to exceed the $40 billion mark in the coming months.