But what is Wegovy? wegovy is the trade name for semaglutide, a medication intended to treat patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Also marketed as OzempicIn 2021, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved its use “for chronic weight management in adults who are obese or overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol). ”.
This medication has been used by different Hollywood figures such as Kim Kardashian, Luis Miguel and Oprah Winfrey who have shown their drastic weight loss. Since then, its popularity has been increasing and on social networks, only the hashtag ‘Ozempic‘ on Tiktok it has about 86 thousand publications.
However, Ozempic and Wegovy are not the only names that have gained popularity in recent times ‘to combat obesity’. Saxendathe trade name of liraglutide and how it is found in Peru, is also marketed for the treatment of overweight patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved its use in 2020 for “chronic weight control in obese pediatric patients 12 years of age or older.”
The General Directorate of Medicines, Supplies and Drugs (DIGEMID) authorized the consumption of this medicine manufactured by the Danish company Novo Nordisk in Peru in 2022. This is sold by prescription as an injectable solution (a subcutaneously applied pen that needs to be refrigerated). Although this medication is aimed at overweight patients with type 2 diabetes, people who want to lose weight aesthetically are looking to purchase this product.
Who is it prescribed to?
Both the semaglutide as the liraglutide They serve the function of treating type 2 diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels, the difference is that the first contains more amino acids, making weight loss faster.
According to the FDA, this medication also mimics a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 that we produce naturally in our intestines, limiting appetite by telling our body to feel full and causing the stomach to empty slowly.
Herald Manrique, president of the Peruvian Society of Endocrinology, explains in detail who can use this medication. “The patient must have a metabolic evaluation, a lipid profile, fatty liver, thyroid, anemia, kidney function and rule out diabetes. In addition to an abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the presence of stones in the gallbladder“, explains to Trade.
Manrique emphasizes that this treatment is aimed at patients who are overweight, but who are changing their lifestyle with diet and implementing exercise in their lives. “Liraglutide is indicated in patients with obesity and diabetes only”, he clarifies.
Other patients who are candidates for this medicine are those who are diagnosed with anxiety. Ana, who prefers to keep her last name confidential, for example, turned to the endocrinologist when, after years of exercising and following an eating plan, she could not lose the kilos that made her overweight. She says that all her examinations did not show anything abnormal.
“The endocrinologist recommended that I use Saxenda. He told me that this alternative is for people who are following a change in their lifestyle and helps them lose weight.“, he tells Trade.
Although Ana acknowledges that she did not suffer from diabetes or any other disease that would impact her overweight, she began to implement this medicine into her daily routine. “It helped me a lot to control the times I felt like eating due to anxiety.”, he adds.
An expensive treatment
Ana comments that she had to stop the treatment due to its high cost. “It is not difficult to follow the treatment, but it is expensive. The box of three pencils costs 900 soles, which can only be 6 days of treatment.“, Explain.
Each pen Saxenda contains 3 mg. Depending on the treatment, it can be applied from 0.6 mg per day and increase the dose weekly, according to medical indication. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, and even swelling of the face.
In the United States, its price is even higher. Ozempic, for example, can cost about $892 for a monthly supply without insurance; while wegovythe treatment that Elon Musk followed, is priced at $1,300 for a 28-day supply.
Vanity over warnings
Despite its high cost since it is aimed at type 2 diabetic patients with obesity, celebrities and influencers have resorted to it, using it aesthetically to lose weight quickly, causing their followers not to measure the consequences of this and acquiring both the semaglutide as liraglutide in pharmacies without a prescription.
After this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about the shortage of this medicine after it became popular. “In the past year, a global shortage of products indicated to manage type II diabetes and sometimes also approved for weight loss – known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1-RA) products – has been associated with an increase in counterfeit GLP-1-RA“, they indicate in a statement.
“These counterfeit versions are often sold and distributed through unregulated means, including social media platforms. Prolonged shortages of genuine GLP-1-RA products and increased circulation of counterfeit versions are likely to have disproportionate consequences on patients with type II diabetes”, they add.
The Ozempic company itself warns that this medicine is not approved by the FDA for weight loss or chronic weight management. Furthermore, it indicates that to date it has not carried out studies that show whether, once you decide to stop using it, it produces a “rebound” effect.
However, a study conducted by the University of Liverpool in 2022 on weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide, showed that patients who stopped taking semaglutide recovered up to two-thirds of their previous weight loss. Furthermore, he concludes that “Ongoing treatment is required to maintain improvements in weight and health”.
“If this product is stopped, it is likely that the lost weight will be regained, as long as the patient has not changed their eating habits.”Manrique warns. Ana shares that when she stopped using Saxendarecovered 3 kilos of the 8 kilos lost.
For nutritionist Roze Van den Broek, resorting to these procedures must go hand in hand with an adequate medical evaluation. “Measurements like these or like the gastric sleeve or the gastric balloon, must go hand in hand with an evaluation of the body mass index that indicates that the patient is in type II or 3 obesity and that the percentage of visceral fat is affecting the health“, he comments to Trade.
The expert maintains that the important thing is to make a change in healthy habits. “If you do not have a weight that is directly affecting your health and if you have not followed an eating plan, it is not necessary to resort to any of these measures.”, he indicates.