Wegovy, a new weight loss medication, is now available in pharmacies in Quebec. This drug, launched by the company behind Ozempic, uses the same active ingredient as the latter, semaglutide. So how can we differentiate between these two auto-injectors?
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Weight loss with the Wegovy drug could be “greater” and “faster,” due to a dosage two and a half times stronger than Ozempic, explains Dr. Yves Robitaille of the Center for Metabolic Medicine in Lanaudière.
This medication, administered by injection every week, “plays on a receptor involved in the body which increases the feeling of satiety, therefore removing hunger,” comments pharmacist Yann Gosselin-Gaudreault.
Wegovy will not only treat weight loss, but can also be given to people who suffer from high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Listen to the interview with Jean-François Desgagné, president of the Order of Pharmacists of Quebec (OPQ), on Yasmine Abdelfadel’s show via QUB :
Dr. Robitaille recalls that Wegovy is “exactly the same medicine” as Ozempic. Will Wegovy actually reduce the pressure on Ozempic? “What we don’t take from the left pocket, we’ll get from the right pocket. The manufacturer will have to ensure that supply meets demand,” he adds.
These medications are only covered by the Régie de l’assurance santé du Québec (RAMQ) for people with type 2 diabetes, which could hurt the wallets of those who want to lose weight. Costs can be up to $500 per month.
Although doctors are fighting to get insurance to cover the costs, obesity is still too stigmatized.
“It is new in human history that we are talking about obesity as a disease. It’s always been about bad life choices. But here, science shows us that even food choices are dictated by genetics and a host of factors that have nothing to do with will,” concludes Dr. Robitaille.
