#glp-1

#glp-1

GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, were originally intended to treat diabetes - and didn't become blockbuster prescriptions until doctors realized that they were also potent weight loss aids that seem to re-wire patients' relationship to food and satiety. Since then, it's slowly been emerging that they have another surprising effect: many users report less of a desire to throw back as many drinks as they did before starting the injections.

A daily pill for weight loss can help people reduce their body weight by as much as a fifth, according to a trial that could pave the way for millions more people to shed pounds. The drug, called orforglipron, is manufactured by Eli Lilly and targets the same GLP-1 receptors as weight loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy. In a trial of 3,127 adults, one in five people who took the once-a-day tablet for 72 weeks lost 20% or more of their body weight.

In July, Sundberg published a newsletter headlined "1 in 3 Feed Me readers surveyed use a GLP-1." Despite being sponsored by a company that sells weight-loss medication, the post doesn't shy away sharing its negative perceptions. In one anonymous quote submission, a reader said, "It's kind of cheating, shouldn't we all work to get healthy, not thin?" Another said: "I am still embarrassed for other people if they get on them."

The list, consisting of 523 medicines for adults and 374 for children, is a catalogue of the drugs the WHO believes should be available in all functioning health systems. The new editions of essential medicines lists mark a significant step toward expanding access to new medicines with proven clinical benefits and with high potential for global public health impact, said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO's assistant director-general for Health Systems, Access and Data.

The emergence of GLP-1 medications, originally popular in the US, is now a global phenomenon, projected to grow to 31.5 million users by 2035.

Ozempic's approval in 2017 transformed obesity treatment from lifestyle changes to drug-based interventions, utilizing GLP-1 to effectively regulate appetite and manage glucose.