By: Lieba Nesis
The class of people known as overweight or obese might soon become extinct as radical new drugs Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy overwhelm the market. Dozens of my friends from Deal, to the Hamptons to New York who have dropped 20 or more pounds have admitted to using the drug as it becomes the topic of nearly every conversation. Heralded to work as well as gastric band surgery, I witnessed this firsthand at a recent dinner party when Liz McDermott, a prominent interior designer, raved of her 25-pound over two months weight loss as three other women acknowledged experiencing similar results. The latest celebrity to tout its effectiveness is the richest man in the world Elon Musk who replied to a Twitter fan inquiring as to how he achieved his “fit, ripped and healthy “ body with “fasting and Wegovy.” That’s akin to Marc Jacobs saying his face looks taut because of water and a facelift. The sole reason Musk was able to fast and lose over 20 pounds in a month was because of Wegovy’s extreme effect on one’s appetite.
The history of this relatively new drug dates back to June 4, 2021 when the FDA approved the semaglutide Wegovy as the first new drug for chronic obesity since 2014. In 2014 the FDA approved Novo Nordisk’s Saxenda for weight management for 12 year olds and up but it only reduced weight by 5-7% as compared to Ozempic’s 15%. A whopping 70% of American adults are either overweight or obese so to say this drug is cataclysmic is an understatement. Normally used for the treatment of diabetes Wegovy mimics a hormone called glucagon-like-peptide that regulates the portion of the brain that modulates appetite and food intake. By releasing insulin into the pancreas as well as slowing down food exiting the stomach participants notice a dramatic decrease in hunger. Even without dieting, the ability to lose weight remains because the insulin enters the cells allowing the body to utilize sugar more effectively instead of storing it as fat.
In a 68-week medical study of 1,961 obese adults taking Wegovy the average weight loss was 35 lbs or 15% of body weight as compared to a placebo group that lost 6 pounds or 2.5% body weight. Those who continued to take the drug from weeks 20-68 continued to lose weight as compared to those in a placebo group who stopped Wegovy and gained weight. Moreover, there was a significant reduction in waist circumference along with an improvement in cardiovascular health. These astounding numbers have caused ripples throughout the medical community as gastric bypass surgery risks becoming obsolete.
The once a week subcutaneous injection into the stomach arm or thigh costs from $170 to $342 per week without insurance-a price well worth paying when considering the cost of liposuction, fad diets or health bills related to obesity. Along with the injections, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has also made available an oral semaglutide Rybelsus which when ingested once daily similarly produces dramatic weight loss. Any celebrity who has recently dropped significant poundage after trying unsuccessfully for years including Kim Kardashian, Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, and Rebel Wilson most probably did so through the help of these antidotes.
While Wegovy is specifically indicated for dietary purposes due to a shortage many have turned to Type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic with both being equally effective although Wegovy contains a higher dose of semaglutide. Ozempic doses begin at .25 mg and are increased over 16-20 weeks to 2.4 mg the level considered most effective for weight loss. Ozempic and Wegovy work immediately after the injection and remain in the body 5 to 7 weeks after the last dose.
Another weight loss panacea on the horizon is Eli Lilly’s revolutionary new injection, Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, which was approved by the FDA for diabetes in May 2022. Currently being fast tracked for weight loss usage it is expected to generate more than $4.9 billion in sales in the next 4 years. Proven to be a more effective weight loss device than Ozempic, Mounjaro produces an average whopping weight loss of 22.5% of body weight as compared to the 15% of Wegovy.
Side effects of these three drugs range from the most common and less severe of fatigue, nausea, increased heart rate and low blood sugar along with the less often but more serious: swelling of the pancreas, thyroid cancer, kidney failure, gallbladder problems, changes in vision and allergic reactions. Some more bad news includes their rebound effect with researchers finding that within one year participants “relatively rapidly” gained back two-thirds of what they lost despite continued lifestyle changes-as well as a reversal of most positive cardiovascular effects. As these drugs gain momentum with over 320 million views on Ozempic’s effects on TikTok we risk a society comprised of rail thin mannequins after a long hard battle waged in the past decade to normalize plus size beauty.
