Lately, it seems you can鈥檛 open a newspaper without hearing about the latest celebrity opinion of Ozempic or the latest condition it is showing promise in treating. But as the popularity of the diabetes treatment turned weight-loss drug turned all-round panacea continues to climb, it is disappointing to see how .
This medicine 鈥� whose generic name is semaglutide and which is also sold under the brand name Wegovy 鈥� works by mimicking a gut hormone called GLP-1. After many false starts, it is the first weight-loss drug that is both safe and effective. Yet many column inches have been devoted to why we shouldn鈥檛 see this type of medicine as a quick fix for our expanding waistlines, but should instead be encouraging people to alter their diets. Critics also warn that unsuspected negative effects may emerge. Both these opinions are somewhat short-sighted.
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First, the more people who take these drugs, the more confident we can be that any new side effects would be rare. We have also discovered unanticipated positive effects. Not only do the GLP-1 mimics help in obesity-related conditions, but they have recently shown potential in unexpected areas, such as addiction, depression and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease (see 鈥淭he surprising brain and mental health benefits of weight-loss drugs鈥�).
Second, health services globally have been battling obesity for decades. Countless strategies 鈥� from healthy eating campaigns to school cooking lessons and calorie counts on menus 鈥� have been tried.
None has worked. It appears almost inevitable that as a country鈥檚 prosperity rises, so too does its weight. Yet that might not be the case for much longer if Ozempic and the other, more potent GLP-1 mimics that are set to follow it deliver on their promise.
We aren鈥檛 quite there yet. Ozempic has been priced out of reach for many people. However, the costs of new medicines tend to fall over time as competitors weigh in.
Ozempic won鈥檛 be a quick fix for the obesity epidemic. But it might be a slow one 鈥� with added benefits. And to that we should be open.
