Slim version
A year ago, most people had never heard of Ozempic. Now the weight loss panacea and an almost identical prescription called Wegovy is getting everyone’s attention. The weekly injection, originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, has been hailed as an effective treatment. overateOne game changer, revolutionaryand, yes, one silver bullet in the fight against obesity. Celebrities like it (though only a few, incl Elon Musk, have publicly confirmed they are using it). The same goes for drug manufacturers. The success of the active ingredient semaglutidethe in Ozempic and Wegovyhas created a gold fever. Last year, weight-loss drug developers signed deals worth $1.4 billion.
The problem is, much of that money comes from off-label use, a completely legal practice in which doctors prescribe a drug for some purpose other than the one approved by the FDA. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved semaglutide for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30+ or a BMI of 27+ and multiple comorbidities. But many insurance companies, including Medicare, do not reimburse for weight loss drugs. Many medications are currently available consume by people who have a healthy BMI and can afford it. While those who need the drug have the hardest time accessing it, for those with deep pockets, semaglutide is extremely easy to obtain, speak Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker. No doctor appointment needed.
Curious how it all started? Here is your Rx to read first.
By digits
9 million: Number of prescriptions for Ozempic and Wegovy written by American doctors in the last 3 months of 2022
15%: Average body weight lost by patients in a trial studying the maximum dose of Wegovy
66%: Average weight of patients get it back during the first year after they stop using Ozempic or Wegovy
7 billion USD: Earnings of Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, in the first half of 2023
2.3%: Percentage of Manhattan’s poshest residents joining Ozempic or Wegovy in 2022
$2.1 trillion: The annual cost would be to provide every American classified as obese with semaglutide at current prices
Explain it as Im 5!
How does Semaglutide work?
It all started in 1995. Researchers, inspired by the venom of the Gila monster, found that when we eat, our bodies naturally produce certain digestive enzymes. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, or GLP-1, is one that promotes produces insulin, slows digestion and inhibits hunger hormones in the brain.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is designed to mimic GLP-1 in the body. Chemically, that makes it a GLP-1 agonist. When people with diabetes take this medication, it makes them more sensitive to insulin. It also suppresses the user’s appetite, which is why it is popular for weight loss.
Just this week, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced clinical trial results of a new diabetes drug similar to Ozempic and Wegovy called Mounjaro. In the study, participants on average lost a quarter of his body weightor a staggering 60 lbs (27kg). Mounjaro combines the GLP-1 agonist with another hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP. Together, they appear to be even more effective than semaglutide. There’s just one catch: However, this diabetes drug is not yet FDA-approved for weight loss. industry people I believe everything will be clear this year.
Can be quoted
Sadly, becoming a body-positive doctor in the Ozempic era has made me realize that I alone cannot stop the fatphobia that has permeated our culture. As long as it exists, there will be a market for drugs that make people thinner.New Jersey Family Physician Mara Gordon for NPR
Side Effects
Warning: Power Puking
Ozempic has been hailed as a miracle drug, but the injections we have been referring to are injections, usually into the body. belly?can cause serious consequences. For some users, semaglutide helps stop hunger. But for others, the drugs cause intense food aversions or even make them unable to eat. I have no energy, constant nausea and what I call vomiting, says Anna Toonk, a diabetic and semaglutide user, told The Cut. In fact, appetite suppression is so essential to the drug’s effectiveness that some have argued that it Absolutely no side effectsbut the actual weight loss mechanism.
Semaglutide and its relative tirzepatide may also be included increased risk of thyroid cancer, Emotion dysregulation may occurand the threat of also much losing weight. Because the researchers only observed the participants in the test two years Regarding use, they cannot yet detail all the pros and cons of the drug. But as semaglutide becomes more available, the list of possible complications will grow. At the end of September, FDA updated The Ozempics label has a new warning this time for clogged intestines.
Small surprise test
What is the out-of-pocket cost for one month of Ozempic injections?
A. $915
B. $180
C. $525
D. $1,400
Think your chances of being right are slim? Scroll down to find out.
Chart
Weight down, stock up
In September, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk briefly overtook LVMH for the largest market capitalization in Europe, as this chart shows. Novo Nordisk owns exclusive patents on semaglutide-based drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, meaning all sales go back to the Copenhagen suburbs. Although compounding pharmacies have tried to imitate the active ingredient, it Far from the real deal.
Interesting fact
At least one of the scientists who developed semaglutide thinks Wegovy and Ozempic will quickly lose their appeal as weight-loss drugs. So you’re not eating through GLP-1 therapy because you’ve lost interest in food, he said told Wired. Ultimately, that can be a problem, that once you’ve been doing this for a year or two, life gets so boring that you can’t stand it anymore and you have to go back to your old life.
Million dollar question
What happens to snacks?
Ozempic and Wegovy users often exhibit a change in taste. In particular, many people avoid eating foods high in sugar and fat while taking medication. That’s causing snack makers to consider their long-term strategies. In a new report, Morgan Stanley estimates that up to 7% of Americans will be using GLP-1 drugs by 2035. As a result, they predict that snack sales could plummet by 3% or more .
But here’s another factor to consider: One analyst said the industry often over-indexes on low-income people, who are unlikely to be primary users of the drugs. This. told CNBC. In other words, Cheap, sugary foods are mainly sold to the general public people couldn’t afford Ozempic in the first place, a big link in the whole obesity epidemic to begin with, so it’s unlikely that soda makers will adjust too quickly. Despite all the media bling you’re seeing so much right now, chances are the snack number crunchers will be waiting. And see. Watchers wait.
Take me down this hole!
On their podcast Maintenance phaseAubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes decode the diet industry, from the keto diet to the farce of the Presidential Fitness Test, the scourge of American students from the 1950s to 2013. In their book Latest episode, on Ozempic, the duo discuss the potential life-saving benefits of new weight loss drugs and the urgent need to continue fighting anti-obesity bias. Because no matter how successful this drug is, our society will always have diversity in body sizes.
Poll
Have you tried a medicine like Ozempic?
- I have
- I haven’t, but I will
- Are not
Do not worry, Your responses to our one-question poll will remain anonymous and we do not collude with Novo Nordisk.
Let’s talk!
In last week’s poll about ETF, 53% of you said you would invest in Elon Musk’s inverse ETF, while 37% of you will choose ETF for ETF and ten% of you would support an ETF for snack companies at risk from Ozempic.
What do you think about email today?
What should we obsess over next?
Today’s email was written by Eleanor Cummins (for better or worse, everyone will never stop snacking), edited and produced by Morgan Haefner (after all, that person happens to know a lot about health insurance).
The correct answer to the pop quiz is ONE., $915.
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Image Source : qz.com