Semaglutide (Ozempic): The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
What is Ozempic?
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists. Ozempic is a brand of semaglutide (think Cadburys chocolate – i.e. Cadburys is the brand, chococlate is what it is).
It is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. It works by promoting insulin production, decreasing the amount of sugar produced by your liver and slowing the digestion process – in doing so, it promotes the feeling of fullness, acting like an appetite suppressant.
Due to its latter property, Ozempic is a hot topic on social media for its off-label use in weight loss.
What does ‘off-label’ mean? What is a drug licence?
For a drug to be marketed in the UK, it requires a licence provided by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).
This licence states what diseases & illnesses it can be used for, how much can be given, the method of administration, and which patients are eligible.
Off-label simply means that it is used differently to what is stated within the licence. It is not illegal. The prescriber should follow professional guidelines and have the patient’s best interests in mind.
The prescriber must make sure that the patient understands all potential risks and side effects.
In the case of Ozempic, patients should have type 2 diabetes mellitus, with previous diabetic therapies failing to control glucose levels.
Semaglutide is also prescribed under the brand Wegovy specifically for weight loss – it’s indicated for obese patients (BMI>30) or severely overweight patients (BMI>27) with a weight-related comorbidity.
What are the issues of off-label prescribing?
Due to their widely known weight loss effects, there are ongoing shortage supplies of Ozempic and Wegovy. This can have serious health implications for type 2 diabetic patients, who cannot access their best course of treatment.
In these situations, one must ask if off-label prescribing is appropriate in this scenario. Considering the potential health issues that come with uncontrolled diabetes, CKDEx thinks that should what it is primarily used for.
What are the side effects?
Typically, they are gastrointestinal in nature: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea & constipation. In rare cases, it may increase the risk of pancreatitis and medullary thyroid cancer.
Will short-term use of Ozempic or Wegovy alone help me maintain long-term weight loss?
In short, unlikely. Both are meant to be taken long-term. Recent reports claim that patients who stopped taking semaglutide gained back most of their weight.
Exercise and a healthy diet are a must for weight management – and will increase the possibility of coming off Wegovy without gaining back the weight.
Written by Anna Douglas, medical student
Last Reviewed on 26 June 2024
