A New Era for Obesity Treatment?

ONE PILL MAKES YOU SMALLER –

Dec. 26, 2021 – In a 68-week study of nearly 2,000 patients, those who received weekly injections of semaglutide lost an average of 15 percent of their body weight, or roughly 34 pounds. More than one-third shed 20 percent or more, comparable to bariatric surgery. Side effects, mostly gastrointestinal, were typically mild and transient.

“Weight-loss drugs in the past have really not been very good,” says endocrinologist Clifford Rosen, a senior scientist at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute. Stimulants reduce appetite but can trigger insomnia or cardiac events. Drugs that block fat absorption can lead to bowel problems. Those that alter neurotransmitters can cause fatigue and dizziness.

Many experts hailed the FDA’s approval of high-dose semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, as the dawn of a new era for obesity treatment. That reflects not only the drug’s apparent safety, but also its ability to keep weight off long term.

“We don’t see that bounce-back effect, which is really encouraging,” Rosen says.

Less encouraging is Wegovy’s cost: over $1,200 a month. That sounds inexpensive compared to the estimated $147 billion spent annually on obesity-related medical costs in the U.S., but it’s a daunting out-of-pocket expense for the average consumer. And, like other weight-loss medications, the drug is not currently covered by Medicare or most private insurers.