Berlin.
Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian inject semaglutide. The goal: to achieve normal weight. Experts explain how and for whom it works.
The drugs are trending on the online platform TikTok Wegovy and Ozempic with the active substance semaglutide – in other words: you get a lot of attention from the predominantly young users. Posts with relevant keywords together have more than 800 million hits.
One reason: When asked about the secret behind his healthy, fit and significantly streamlined appearance, Tesla boss answered Elon Musk on twitter: “Fasting” and “Wegovy”. And if you believe the social media, has Kim Kardashian slimmed down with Ozempic. Users smell a miracle cure for quick success in buying.
Wegovy and Ozempic: This is behind the stars’ weight loss products
“In fact, the active ingredient has set new therapeutic standards,” admits Jens Aberle, Medical Director of the Endocrinology, Metabolism, Diabetology Section at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). His experience also shows: “If we prescribe semaglutide to patients with type 2 diabetes in addition to diet and physical exercise, we see that they decrease noticeably.”
The drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes was approved in February 2018 and launched in November of the same year under the drug name Ozempic. Approval for the treatment of morbid obesity followed in 2021. New drug name: Wegovy with significantly increased dosage.
Active ingredient Semaglutid: This is how the weight loss injection works
The diabetes pen is used to inject a maximum of one milligram (mg) of semaglutide per week under the skin. In the obesity therapy it is 2.4 mg weekly after gradual increase in dosage – and they are obviously showing their effect.
In the pivotal study, an international Step 1 study, the results of which were published in the “New England Journal of Medicine”, the participants lost under semaglutide almost 15 percent of their weight in 15 months. “These results are really very impressive,” says endocrinologist and nutritionist Andreas Pfeiffer from the Berlin Charité.
For people with morbid obesity, such customer successes are just through diet change and sports are almost impossible to afford because of their body’s biology, even if they really want to. Numerous studies have shown that. The body literally demands the weight back, says Pfeiffer.
Losing weight successfully: Injections alone are not enough
But also just because of that syringes of the active ingredient, the pounds do not tumble. The participants in the study also underwent intensive behavioral therapy. Wegovy is intended solely “as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management, including weight loss and weight maintenance.” This is clearly described in the product information of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). And that’s probably how it was with Elon Musk.
If you are overweight, nothing works without changing your lifestyle. It still takes discipline, willpower and perseverance. However, the prescription GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide may support obesity sufferers by feeling hungry reduced and saturation increased.
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body and is responsible for precisely these effects there. GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic its effects in the body, but have a longer half-life. The drug should only be used under medical supervision and after careful benefit-risk assessment.
“Anyone who takes the drug initially struggles with severe nausea,” emphasizes Aberle, who is also President of the German Obesity Society. “Some longer, others shorter.” In addition, it must be taken permanently.
Ozempic and Wegovy: Huge demand in the US
Nevertheless, the demand is already immense because of its good effect in the USA. In the comments of the social media platforms complain diabeticbecause they can no longer get their medication. Yet they are vital to them. The market launch in Germany is also a long time coming, since the pharmaceutical company can hardly keep up with production due to celebrity advertising.
“Currently, we are therefore required to really only prescribe semaglutide to diabetes patients – by no means as a lifestyle drug,” says Pfeiffer. There are always requests for this. According to Aberle, Wegovy is intended for the adjuvant treatment of obesity be available in Germany from May or June. Cost factor: probably around 80 euros per month. Although these are not covered by health insurance, they are comparatively low. In the US, Wegovy costs about ten times as much.
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