Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable medication for Type 2 diabetes.
Television personality Sharon Osbourne has spoken out Ozempic, a Type 2 diabetes drug used to lose weight. She said the drug shrinks your stomach and "changes you".
Here's everything you need to know about Ozempic:
- It is a medicine for adults who suffer from Type 2 diabetes that, along with diet and exercise, may improve blood sugar. While Ozempic is not meant for weight loss, it may help people lose some weight. Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable medication but experts say it's not a miracle drug.
- In a detailed article on the drug, Forbes said the active compound in Ozempic, semaglutide, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It works by activating GLP-1 receptors throughout the body and enhancing the effects of the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist, told the outlet that Ozempic impacts weight by affecting the hunger centres in the brain and slowing the rate of stomach emptying.
- According to the New York Times (NYT), the Food and Drug Administration in the US first approved the injectable medication for treating diabetes in 2017. Then, a drug with a higher dose of Ozempic was approved for treating obesity in 2021. Since then, it has become popular across the world.
- Elon Musk, when asked about how he looked "fit, ripped and healthy", said in a tweet posted in October 2022 that he was taking Wegovy, the Ozempic-containing drug sold under the brand name. Variety too said in an article that actors and producers are "singing the drug's praises" on Signal, an encrypted messaging app.
- Dr Disha Narang, an endocrinologist based in the US, told NYT as interest in Ozempic increased, people started finding physicians who would prescribe it to them off-label, or started seeking the drug out online.
