Semaglutide is making waves online because it can help people lose weight. The drug, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, can help you lose more than 10 percent of your body weight, and Elon Musk is one of its users.
But what does this drug actually do, what is it good for, and are there any side effects? While Hollywood’s favorite’slump’ is on its way to the UK, we’ve answered all these questions and more with everything you need to know about semaglutide and the names it goes by.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for drugs made from the drug semaglutide. Both are injectable and manufactured by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.
Ozempic has been used to treat type 2 diabetes for several years and Wegovy is a new version of the weight-loss drug coming to the UK. The difference between the two is that Wegovy has a higher concentration of semaglutide.
How does Ozempic work?
Semaglutide mimics a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1), which is released by the gut after a meal. It tells the pancreas to make more insulin, which is why semaglutide was developed to treat type 2 diabetes.
But GLP-1 also sends signals to the brain that make us feel full. Thus, semaglutide can be used to suppress appetite and alleviate some of the ill effects of dieting.
“When you lose weight through dieting, you start to feel hungry, miserable, tired, and everything in between,” said Dr. Simon Cork, senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. BBC Science Focus. “Semaglutide prevents the biological response to weight loss.”
Does semaglutide cause weight loss?
The drug helps people lose weight but does not directly cause weight loss. “Semaglutide will not cause weight loss, but it will help maintain weight loss that is achieved through diet and exercise,” Cork said.
More so
A large study of 1,961 overweight or obese adults found that patients taking semaglutide lost an average of 15.3kg, or 2.4 stone, compared to 2.6kg in the placebo group. Both groups also received nutrition and lifestyle advice.
However, weight loss achieved with semaglutide is not necessarily permanent. A follow-up study found that a year after ceasing semaglutide injections, participants regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost. It is also unclear whether the drug can be effective without diet and exercise advice.
Dr. Margaret McCartney, a GP in Glasgow, also questioned what difference semaglutide could make to large populations, as many people could “gain weight quickly” after two years of free treatment on the NHS unless they could. afford to pay for semaglutide privately.
“Given the social gradient associated with obesity, it is possible that the people who benefit most from this drug will not be able to afford it,” McCartney wrote. BMJ.
Where is Ozempic and Wegovy?
A weight-loss version of semaglutide (Wegovy) is not yet available in the UK, but it will be. High-street chemists have started promoting the drug and semaglutide will soon be available in England on the NHS for weight loss, but there are conditions.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that the drug be available to those with a body mass index of at least 35 (over 30 is obese) and one weight-related health condition. In addition, Wegovy will only be prescribed on the NHS for a maximum of two years in a specialist weight management service. Most of them are in hospitals and would give about 35,000 people access to the drug, according to government figures.
“Semaglutide will not be available to everyone,” Helen Knight, director of drug evaluation at NICE, said in March. “Our committee has made specific recommendations to ensure that the benefit is retained by the taxpayer and is available for a maximum of two years.
June 6 The UK government has announced a £40m pilot scheme to study how approved drugs such as semaglutide can be made available to more people. This includes the potential to extend specialist weight management services outside of hospitals and allow medication to be obtained through GPs.
Wegovy will be available on prescription from UK High Street chemists and is expected to be available in 2023. in the spring Its price has not yet been revealed.
Cork said BBC Science Focus that the licensing of drugs to treat obesity on the NHS is a positive step, it is clear to the scientific community that severe obesity is a disease that needs to be managed with drugs. But Cork is unsure whether semaglutide will make it to the high street.
“I doubt it’s available privately on the high street because I think it’s a drug that needs to be very carefully monitored and managed,” he said.
What are the side effects of semaglutide?
Side effects of semaglutide can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. US National Library of Medicine Medline Plus The website also warns that semaglutide injection may increase the risk of thyroid tumors, noting that the risks of taking the medication should be discussed with a doctor.
The New York Times. reported that one of the biggest risks of using Ozempic is that some people lose their appetite so much that they can malnourish. This highlights the importance of maintaining a proper diet along with medication.
Keep in mind that these are just a few of the possible side effects of semaglutide. There is much more. Cork also told BBC Science Focus that “we have no data on the long-term safety of this drug.”
Will Ozempic become a mental health drug?
There have been reports that Ozempic could be a game-changing anti-anxiety drug with many mental health benefits, including reducing addictive behaviors and improving stress and depression.
GLP-1 is naturally released in the brain and can interact with reward pathways. By mimicking GLP-1, Ozempec may have positive effects on cravings and mental health. In addition, losing weight can boost self-confidence, and the stigma associated with weight can cause a person to drop pounds to feel better.
Using the drug to treat other health problems is not unusual, as semaglutide is already used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, further research is needed to investigate other possible benefits, such as mental health treatment.
About our expert Dr. Simon Korkas
Dr. Simon Cork is Senior Lecturer in Physiology at Anglia Ruskin University and Honorary Lecturer at Imperial College London. He was interested in obesity, the gut-brain axis, and appetite regulation. His research has been published in journals including the Journal of Neural Engineering, Molecular Metabolism, and Neurology.