Starting the Facts
Some medical professionals are hailing a new weight-loss method as “groundbreaking” and a potential “game changer” in the rising obesity epidemic. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved semaglutide, an injectable medication from the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, for people with chronic obesity. This discussion is included with the facts on New Weight-Loss Treatment by Semaglutide. So have a look on the post for details.
“Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and expert in obesity medicine and medication trial investigator Dr. Robert F. Kushner said, “We don’t use such phrases lightly. “I’ve worked in this industry for 40 years. We have never before experienced weight loss of an average of 15% or more as a result of the way we think.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42.4% of all individuals in the U.S. are currently obese, which is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more.
“Today’s approval offers adults with obesity or overweight a beneficial new treatment option to incorporate into a weight management program,” said John Sharretts, deputy director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The Approval
Semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic and available at a lower dose, was approved by the FDA in 2019 to treat Type 2 diabetes. When used at the higher dose of 2.4 mg, the medication works on brain regions that control hunger, which may result in significant weight loss when combined with increased physical activity and nutritionist-led counseling sessions to maintain a low-calorie diet.
Patients with a BMI over 30 or a BMI over 27 with at least one weight-related condition are the target audience for the medication.
The effects of the medication on weight loss for approximately 2,000 people in 16 nations were examined by Northwestern University researchers in Chicago for a recent randomized and controlled phase 3 clinical trial study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Semaglutide targets the stomach rather than the brain, which is a paradigm shift from existing obesity drugs, according to Dr. Anastassios G. Pittas, director of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at Tufts Medical Center.”
The Anti-obesity Drug Effects
Participants gave themselves either semaglutide or a placebo once a week for 68 weeks. On average, those who took the medication as prescribed dropped over 15% of their body weight, and more than a third lost at least 20% of their body weight.
According to Kushner, the weight reduction caused by the current anti-obesity medications on the market ranges from 6% to 12%.
“If someone weighs 200 pounds or 250 pounds, losing 50 pounds is life-changing,” said Dr. Sriram Machineni, a researcher in the study and the head of the Medical Weight Clinic at the University of North Carolina.
What the study says?
A study participant who received the medication was Marleen Greenleaf, 58, of Fort Washington, Maryland, who shed more than 40 pounds in a year.
She told, “I’ve been working on this weight-loss path for so long, and I’ve tried so many things.” Losing weight has never been easy for me. I essentially have practiced yo-yo dieting, where I lose weight and then gain it back.
According to Greenleaf, this treatment was unique because it was consistent and wasn’t a “quick fix” solution. Unlike other anti-obesity drugs, which must be taken daily, the once-weekly regimen made it easier to maintain.
Escalating crisis
Obesity has escalated into a serious public health concern and has been related to a number of illnesses, including as cancer, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. During the coronavirus pandemic, its metabolic effects were clear, putting obese patients at an increased risk for serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
According to a 2019 study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, roughly one in two American people would be obese by the year 2030 if current trends continue.
“There are few treatment options available today, and in many circles, it isn’t even thought of as a disease. There is a large unmet need. Doug Langa, president of Novo Nordisk and executive vice president of North American Operations.”
The Final Take
Butsch stated, “I believe this may signal a change in the way we see the obesity disease. “We finally have a shift in getting more and more people to their objective of having a normal body weight, or considerably reducing people who have extreme obesity,” says the researcher. “If we administer a medicine which may be considered as a more benign treatment choice, and it produces significant impacts.
The trial’s weight loss was frequently accompanied by improvements in blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar levels, among other health advantages.