WEIGHT IS OVER
Ozempic maker reveals new weight loss pill is twice as effective as its ‘miracle’ jab
Demand for weight loss jabs is sky high because they work so well
A PILL made by the firm behind Ozempic is twice as good as the fat jab, an early trial suggests.
Ozempic has been a breakthrough in the treatment of obesity, but now there may be something that works even better.
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Novo Nordisk said patients taking its one-a-day experimental drug, amycretin, lost 13 per cent of their body weight in 12 weeks.
This compared to six per cent after the same time injecting Wegovy.
Wegovy is the weight-loss 'sister jab' of Ozempic, which is licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but is sometimes prescribed off-label for weight-loss.
Amycretin works in the same way as the injections, by mimicking a hormone (GLP-1) that makes you feel full and stop over-eating.
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Amycretin, however, also mimics a different hormone called amylin, which seems to make it more potent still.
Demand for the slimming super-meds is sky high because patients shed fat at an incredible rate.
Ozempic currently cannot be prescribed for weight loss in the UK due to shortages.
The results come from a phase 1 study of just 16 patients, so more research is needed, and the drugs have not been compared in a study head on.
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However, Danish giant Novo Nordisk’s value surged five per cent on the results, making it richer than Elon Musk’s Tesla.
The pharmaceutical firm is worth more money than the entire rest of Denmark’s economy combined.
Chief executive Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said the market for obesity drugs is “a tremendous runway”.
A successful pill as good as the weight loss injections would be a breakthrough because it would be easier for patients to take and use less plastic.
Weight loss jabs have additional benefits
One in three people in the UK are obese and excess flab drives up rates of cancers, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and dementia.
Studies suggest the weight loss jabs have a whole range of benefits beside treating type 2 diabetes - which they were designed to do.
A separate Novo Nordisk trial of Ozempic this week found that it cut heart and kidney disease deaths by a quarter in patients with type 2 diabetes.
They also appear to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and may even help to stave off dementia.
They could also help smokers and drug users to quit their addictions because they act on part of the brain that satisfies cravings.
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UK ministers hope they can be rolled out widely on the NHS to reduce the country’s obesity problem.
Trials of amycretin continue.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS JABS
What are they?
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories sharing how they helped them shed the pounds.
In March, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, will also be available from pharmacies like Boots.
Meanwhile, pharma company Eli Lilly last month announced results for its own weight loss drug tirzepatide.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less calories and therefore lose weight.
To do this, an ingredient found in the fat-busting drug, known as Semaglutide, mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Both Wegovy and tirzepatide stem from drugs originally designed to treat diabetes.
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Tirzepatide is sold under the name Mounjaro for diabetes.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Eli Lilly said it will apply for a UK licence for tirzepatide soon, which could make it available to the NHS.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.