game changer weight loss drug. As far as obesity treatment goes, 2021 was a watershed year. Experts have called the weight-loss drug semaglutide a “game-changer,” and it was finally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June.
This medication was the first drug treatment approved by the FDA for weight management since 2014. It had been initially developed to treat Type 2 diabetes. It helps people lose weight by altering their brain’s reward and satiety centers. This mechanism also has the potential to reduce alcohol consumption and combat addiction.
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy brand of semaglutide is an injection taken once every seven days to normalize hunger hormones. Patients must have a body mass index of 27 or higher, or 30 or higher if they have a condition related to obesity, such as diabetes.
Wegovy’s introduction to the market was met with acclaim, but subsequent supply constraints meant that semaglutide was quickly exhausted.
While its long-term effects are still unknown, this weight-loss drug made waves in the medical world in 2018, shifting the way both professionals and laypeople view the subject of obesity treatment.
The hormone insulin is increased by semaglutide’s action, which has a positive effect on blood sugar levels.
A study published in the beginning of 2021 found that those who took the drug lost an average of 15% to 20% of their body weight over the course of 68 weeks, compared to 2.4% among those who took a placebo.
Semaglutide maintenance treatment is required to keep the weight off. Another study found that after 20 weeks of treatment with semaglutide, participants lost 10% of their body weight, but then quickly gained it back once they stopped taking the drug. People who continued taking the drug during the study lost an additional 8 percent of their body weight.
Studies on semaglutide showed promising results in treating obesity. A public relations boost came from Marc Andreessen, who hailed semaglutide as a “silver bullet” and “miracle drug” for weight loss.
Andreessen revealed in March that he had been taking Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk’s branded tablet form of semaglutide, for around 40 days.
He remarked, “It just changes your relationship with food.” You’re just not hungry right now, that’s all.
