Ozempic

December 29, 20234min readOzempic and similar drugs are ushering in a new era of weight management and obesity treatments, and researchers are racing to understand their impactBy Lauren J. Young Our culture’s obsession with weight has always felt unshakeable. But over the past year, new classes of drugs seem to be changing the way we think and talk about weight, dieting and obesity—for better and for worse. Popular pound-shedding medications including Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound have been all over social media…

Some of those taking Ozempic or Wegovy are learning that too much of a good thing is never good.Semaglutide, the medication prescribed under the brand names Ozempic, for treating Type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, for weight management, works by mimicking the hormone GLP-1, which is released by the gut after eating. The hormone has several effects in the body, such as stimulating insulin production, slowing gastric emptying and lowering blood sugar. It has been hailed for its weight-loss benefits, most conspicuously among…

Ozempic. It’s been touted as a miracle drug, used endlessly as a Hollywood punchline, and become the impetus for almost $5 billion in sales for pharmaceutical companies in 2023 alone. Since its release in 2017, the injectable weight loss medication and others in its class have revolutionized the landscape of chronic weight management drugs and been marketed as safe and incredibly effective. But as newer weight loss medications enter the market, the popularity of drugs like Ozempic and the rising discourse surrounding…

Just about a year ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster obesity drug, Wegovy, for use in teens ages 12 and up with a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for their age and sex. The decision came a little more than six months after the drug was approved for adults.You might ask, why the hurry? And, do teenagers really need weight-loss drugs? According to the CDC, 22% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years have obesity. Since the 1980s, obesity rates have tripled in children and…

George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesWeight loss drugs exploded into the public eye this year, and 2024 will bring more change to the evolving market. The drugs skyrocketed in popularity in 2023 as they helped patients shed significant weight, despite hefty price tags, mixed insurance coverage and a handful of unpleasant side effects. Demand for the drugs is unlikely to slow down in 2024, especially as treatments gradually become more accessible. Much of Wall Street believes the weight loss drug market will only expand,…

Obesity, by and large, is not a problem in the land of the Little Mermaid and midcentury modern design. In Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, bicycles outnumber cars five to one, people swim laps in Nyhavn Harbor well into September, and—despite a clear fondness for pastries, hot dogs, and alcoholic beverages—apparently few people put on weight. The country has one of the lowest obesity rates in Europe, though at 18.4% in 2021, it has risen considerably from 6.1% in 1987. The rest of the world, too, is wrestling with rising…

Digital health company Hims & Hers is starting to roll out a new holistic weight loss program—one that doesn’t include Ozempic for the time being. Instead of offering buzzy weight loss injectables, the company is focusing on less-expensive and often widely available generic medications including Buproprion, Metformin, Naltrexone, and Topiramate with Vitamin B12, which have helped with weight loss.The new program, which is expected to be fully launched by January, also includes educational content as well as tracking…

As drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy become more widespread, an increasing number of employees are asking their insurance to cover them. Recently though, employers including the University of Texas and private healthcare system Ascension have halted coverage saying that they cannot keep up with the rising costs as more people get on GLP-1 medications. In UT’s announcement about the change, it stated that coverage for these medications now cost $5 million per month compared with $1.5 million per month a year and a half…

Another reason for the trial’s failure could be that exenatide is much less potent than its newer cousin semaglutide, better known as Ozempic. Now that Ozempic is everywhere, anecdotal evidence is mounting that these drugs reduce cravings not just for food, but for online shopping, smoking, nail-biting, and alcohol.Now, the first empirical evidence to support the idea that drugs like Ozempic could be an effective treatment for AUD is beginning to appear. This week, a new paper published in the Journal of Clinical…

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, August 31, 2023.Victoria Klesty | ReutersNovo Nordisk on Thursday said it sued two compounding pharmacies in Florida for allegedly selling impure and "potentially unsafe" drugs claiming to contain semaglutide, the active ingredient in the drugmaker's blockbuster weight loss treatment Wegovy and diabetes medication Ozempic. The actions come as Novo Nordisk grapples with shortages of Wegovy and Ozempic in…