Ozempic: how did this drug become “viral”?

Ozempic how did this drug become viral

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    Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)

    A drug intended for people with diabetes, Ozempic, based on semaglutide, has gone viral on social networks because it is advocated by certain influencers and public figures for its side effect: weight loss. What are the risks associated with the diversion of a drug from its main use? The answers of Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.

    We told you about it in a recent article: Ozemepic, a drug based on semaglutide manufactured by the Novo Nordisk laboratory, has experienced unprecedented popularity in several countries. The cause ? A side effect of this treatment, which would make it possible to lose weight. Ozempic was then widely promoted by influencers and experienced an unprecedented shortage, due to unjustified prescriptions.

    Weight loss: a side effect

    By taking Ozempic, people with diabetes are therefore helped by one of the side effects of the molecule, namely weight loss. The drug would cause satiety, which would allow those who take it to consume fewer calories.

    According to the scientists who carried out the first studies on the molecule, people who took one milligram of semaglutide lost 5% of their body weight after several weeks of treatment.

    A new drug for weight loss

    Faced with this phenomenon, the manufacturers of Ozempic have looked into the weight loss potential of semaglutide. After several clinical trials, this property was confirmed and in 2021 the drug obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, renamed for this indication to Wegovy.

    Wegovy has therefore been approved for use in people who are obese, have a BMI of 30 or more, or are overweight, have a BMI between 27 and 29.9, and have a medical condition related to excess weight such as high blood pressure or hypercholesterolemia. The only difference with Ozempic is a slightly larger maximum approved dose for Wegovy.

    A drug that has gone viral on social networks

    That’s when the drug went viral. Touted by celebrities and social media influencers as a miracle weight loss product, the Wegory quickly sold out. Many have turned to Ozempic for weight loss, again creating a shortage of this essential drug for many diabetics.

    Since these drugs are available only on prescription, it is difficult not to blame certain complacent doctors who prescribed these drugs to people who had no medical reason to use them. Obviously, we must also make the public responsible for not having to resort to a drug for non-medical reasons.

    The opinion of Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo

    According to Gerald Kierzek, “The case of Ozempic reminds us of the need to emphasize several things:

    • A drug is not a candy, it must be prescribed by a doctor, according to a specific pathology and in relation to the benefit/risk balance that this generates. Remember also that a drug can very well be tolerated by one person and not at all by another, a treatment is therefore never to be taken lightly;
    • Influencers cannot promote a drug: the health authorities should look into the issue and the law should evolve to make this type of activity illegal;
    • Doctors and patients also have an individual responsibility: that of not prescribing without reason for some and not to “pressure” the health professional to obtain a prescription for others”.


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