The diabetes drug semaglutide — sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy — has been increasing in popularity, but not for the reason it was initially developed.
The drug, initially approved by the FDA in 2017 under the name Ozempic to help manage type 2 diabetes, has generated significant buzz due to its effectiveness in promoting weight loss, according to Fox News.
It has been called “the worst kept secret in Hollywood” for its reported popularity among celebrities, according to NPR. Elon Musk increased awareness of the drug after praising Wegovy for his “ripped, fit and healthy” look, per the South China Morning Post.
The drug was approved in 2021 under the brand name Wegovy for use in chronic weight management. It is administered in a once-weekly shot that costs over $1,000 per month, an attractive new avenue for pharmaceutical giants to collect big profits at patients’ expense.
The demand for the drug for weight-loss purposes has made it more difficult for diabetes patients to access the drug, according to NBC News.
Despite the drugs’ reported ability to help people lose 15% to 20% of their body weight, some medical professionals believe that relying on medications for weight loss can lead to long-term problems, according to USA Today.
If the drugs aren’t taken for life, individuals may regain the lost weight, and the psychological effects of rebound weight gain can be damaging, according to USA Today.
In addition, pharmaceutical drugs are unlikely to prove to be a healthy alternative to exercise and diet in terms of weight loss, the outlet added.
Dr. Kimberly Dennis, a psychiatrist specializing in treating addictions and eating disorders, cautioned that reaching a specific body mass index does not necessarily equate to good health.
“There are people at a whole range of sizes and BMIs that are healthy when you look at actual diseases,” she said, according to USA Today. “For many of these folks, they have no actual illness.”
Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman said that many thin people have high blood pressure; conversely, many of those considered medically overweight do not.
“It’s not clear you’re going to get improved health outcomes” from weight loss medications, Fugh-Berman said.
Despite medical professionals’ concerns, Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, has been aggressively marketing its products to boost demand.
The company has hired obesity medicine doctors and paid $14 million in 2021 for education and training, according to government records.
“That’s part of the problem with these medications right now: Big Pharma’s influence on doctors and Big Pharma’s influence on education,” Dennis told USA Today, adding that it was “everything we saw with the opioid epidemic.”
Of course, the pharmaceutical company does not see it that way.
“Novo Nordisk believes that responsible engagement between pharmaceutical companies and the medical community is good for patients and advances care and science,” Natalia Salomao, senior director of corporate brand at Novo Nordisk, told USA Today via email.
“Obesity is a chronic, progressive, and misunderstood disease that requires long-term medical management,” she added. “One key misunderstanding is that this is a disease of willpower, when in fact there is underlying biology that prevents people from losing weight and keeping it off.”
In the U.S., more than 40% of adults are considered obese. Texas is particularly affected, with six metro areas ranking among the top 30 most obese in the country.
The pharmaceutical industry is striving to get insurers, including Medicare, to cover the costs of its weight loss medications, as 40 million of 110 million Americans who are obese have health insurance that covers weight loss medications, according to Salomao.
“Novo Nordisk believes the most effective way for the millions of Americans who need anti-obesity medicines to be able to access and afford them is to ensure these medicines are covered by government and commercial insurance plans,” Salomao told USA Today.
Still, weight loss assisted through pharmaceutical drugs may cause more health damage than remaining overweight. Studies conducted in 2021 show that weight cycling, the process of gaining and losing significant weight in one’s lifetime, can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, the disease these drugs were introduced to treat initially.
The jury is still out on the long-term adverse effects of the latest weight loss drug.
“We certainly don’t know what will happen if people are on these (weight loss drugs) for the rest of their lives, which is what Novo is suggesting,” Ragen Chastain, an activist who researches the weight loss industry, told USA Today.