NoIt’s not the first anti-obesity drug and it certainly won’t be the last. Nevertheless Ozempic has something special if Scienceamong the most famous and important scientific magazines in the world, has awarded him, already very famous, and the active ingredients he uses, the title of “Breakthrough of the Year”. The recognition as “turning point of the year” is assigned by the scientific and journalistic editorial staff of the magazine and is an important indication for understanding the goals achieved and in which direction the research is going and at the end of each year.
The year of Ozempic: the anti-obesity drug is “the turning point” of 2023 according to Science
The Ozempic belongs to one new class of therapies that is breaking the mold. It cannot be classified as a weight loss drug but there is hope that, together with other similar pharmacological treatments, it can impact obesity rates, and interconnected chronic diseases. Obesity is a real contemporary plague, with 70% of adults in the USA and over 50% in Europe suffering from excess weight. It’s not just a question of aesthetics, social stigma or psychological well-being. But also of consequences for health, which can endanger people’s lives. Obesity is the basis of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatty liver disease and even some types of cancer.
Weight loss drugs, sad story of anorectics
Drug treatments for obesity have a sad past. Starting with the “rainbow pills”, appetite suppressants (such as Fenproporex), full of amphetamines and diuretics, which were sold to women as early as the 1940s. Al fen-phen, a combination of two drugs with anorectic (fenfluramine and phentermine) widespread in the 1990s, which triggered very serious heart and lung diseases.
Ozempic’s revolution on the sense of satiety
Ozempic, Wegovy and the drugs of their class (GLP-1) are different. Because of this, explains the article Science “They are reshaping medicine, popular culture, and even global stock markets in thrilling and disconcerting ways.” Originally developed for diabetesthanks to the active ingredient semaglutide they imitate the behavior of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1)a hormone that stimulates the production of insulin and blocks the production of glucagon, a substance that increases blood sugar levels.
After a meal the body normally produces GLP-1 which also has the function of make you feel a sense of satiety. Causing the body to stop eating. In other words, semaglutide makes you feel full sooner. Also increasing the time food stays in the stomach (slower digestive processes, less desire to eat again).
Semaglutide has been shown to cause a 15 percent loss of body weight with regular use over the course of 16 months. A truly incredible result. But clinical studies have found that it also reduces the symptoms of heart failure and the risk of heart attacks and strokes. And this is the most convincing evidence about the benefits they bring, beyond the weight loss itself.
Side effects and media confusion
The side effects of taking it are few and manageable, it was said, but not null. They range from nausea to pancreatic disorders. And they are acceptable if, on the other side of the scale, there are the consequences of obesity. Not those of an overweight person. But there is also the hypothesis that drugs like Ozempic induce suicidal and self-harming thoughts.
This is why it is important to take Ozempic under strict medical supervision. If this drug is already so popular and discussed it is because, instead, it has been used improperly, and its trafficking has passed through unofficial channels. For example, Elon Musk has made it clear that he has used it, combined with an “intermittent fasting” regime. Also Variety noted a real triumph of Ozempic in Hollywood. Many videos then circulated on TikTok, which pushed many overweight and non-obese people to get it online, from often unreliable sites. In Ireland, for example, there has been a five-fold increase in illegal imports of semaglutide this year compared to 2022. In France, some cases of fake prescriptions being presented at pharmacies to try to obtain it have been reported.
The question put in difficulty the manufacturing company, Novo Nordisk, with important consequences for diabetic people: semaglutide was developed for them and now they cannot obtain it. The drug is also available in Italy it is lacking for months and may be missing intermittently throughout 2024as explained in this note from AIFA which invites diabetics not to start treatment so as not to run the risk of having to interrupt it.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED