Objects of real craze, Ozempic and Wegovy, two drugs for diabetes and obesity, are used by some to lose weight beyond any medical control. Professor Milou-Daniel Drici, expert at “Prac” (pharmacovigilance risk assessment committee attached to the EMA) and head of the pharmacovigilance center at the Nice University Hospital, warns against these prescription deviations, while the scandals around the Isomeride or the Médiator are still in everyone’s minds.
What makes Wegovy different from Ozempic?
Ozempic and Wegovy are both produced by the Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk, and contain the same active ingredient: semaglutide. They differ in the quantity of active ingredient and their indications. Ozempic contains between 0.25 and 1 mg of semaglutide; it is reimbursed to treat diabetes as a second-line treatment – in addition to health and diet rules, physical exercise and metformin – and is administered by weekly self-injection. Since October 2024, this same molecule has been made available at a higher dose (up to 2.4 mg, once a week) with an indication for chronic treatment of obesity (body mass index greater than 35), without diabetes condition, under the brand name Wegovy. It is not refunded.
How did we arrive at the marketing of Wegovy?
In addition to its powerful antidiabetic effect, semaglutide significantly reduces weight. This led its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, to evaluate it at a higher dose in obesity to see if it could reduce morbidity and mortality, which it did.
How does this active ingredient affect weight?
Semaglutide is an analogue of incretins, gastrointestinal hormones that stimulate insulin secretion and reduce glucagon secretion. It also slows gastric emptying. It thus acts as an appetite suppressant by inducing a feeling of satiety which reduces food intake, and therefore weight (up to 15%).
Can Wegovy be considered a miracle drug against obesity?
Certainly not – even if it even has anti-Alzheimer properties! If patients do not follow strict hygiene and diet rules, in conjunction with treatment, in particular by limiting their consumption of sugars, weight regain is inevitable after stopping the medication.
What justifies the alerts launched since 2023 regarding Ozempic?
Via the social network TikTok in particular, Ozempic has been popularized for misuse of its indication and outside of medical prescription to lose a few kilos which would have responded very well to a small diet. This is what led the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) and Health Insurance to warn of the risks associated with misuse of this antidiabetic medication. Furthermore, given supply tensions, compliance with strict indications is essential to guarantee their availability for the patients who need them most.
What are the risks of misusing these medications?
These medications are closely monitored and, to date, mainly gastrointestinal side effects have been reported: constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, as well as rare cases of allergies or hair loss. But pharmacovigilance continues to carefully monitor their large-scale use.
Are other drugs targeting obesity in development?
In the United States, the obesity market could represent $100 billion by 2030. It is certain that other laboratories are innovating in this area to capture part of this gigantic market.
The pharmaceutical industry, far from being philanthropic, invests in areas where it can expect long-term financial benefits.
Other antidiabetics than Ozempic exist, with the same effects on weight. Why have they not been subject to the same misuse of their indication?
Social media and well-orchestrated marketing contributed to this craze, which generated more than $6 billion in revenue for Novo Nordisk in 2023.
