The Drug That Fights Obesity: Introducing Wegovy
The drug which is manufactured by Novo Nordisk contains a drug called Semaglutide, currently used to treat diabetes. Wegovy works as a prescription weight loss treatment by mimicking the stomach hormone which curbs appetite.
In clinical studies where participants were required to eat healthily and exercise alongside a calorie-controlled diet, participants taking Wegovy had an average weight loss of 17-18%, approximately 34 pounds (15.3 kilograms). Participants lost weight steadily for 16 months before plateauing. In the placebo group, the average weight loss was about 2.5%.
Whilst there are currently weight loss injections available for private prescriptions such as Saxenda; what is particularly exciting about Wegovy is that the injectable only needs to be taken weekly.
Wegovy is administered with a single injection once per week, under the skin. As with all prescribed weight loss drugs it will be prescribed only to qualifying patients and is to be combined with healthy eating and exercise. Despite safety concerns, the treatment can be safely prescribed by a GP with experience in weight loss treatment.
With Obesity levels in the UK on the rise & PrivateDoc seeing more and more patients needing their assistance for lasting weight loss results; the drug is an eagerly anticipated addition to their range of prescription weight loss treatments.
“Despite the best efforts to lose weight, many people with obesity struggle to achieve and maintain weight loss due to physiological responses that favour weight regain,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president, Development at Novo Nordisk. “The unprecedented weight loss for an anti-obesity medication marks a new era in the treatment of obesity, and we look forward to making Wegovy™ available to people living with obesity.”
Decreasing your weight when faced with an obese BMI ( 30 or more) brings a plethora of health benefits such as improved energy, sleep, better blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, less risk of further health complications and a better relationship with body image and diet.
Wegovy joins a range of effective weight-loss drugs such as Saxenda and Mysimba, that have been proven to help tackle rising obesity. We anticipate the arrival of Wegovy in the UK and at PrivateDoc in 2022.