#glp-1

#glp-1

Everyone has heard of the weight loss drug Ozempic. Other brands include Weg­ovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. These are all basically the same and are based on a natural hormone called GLP-1. Your body makes GLP-1 after a meal and it makes you feel full, stopping you eating.

GLP-1 is the naturally produced hormone whose function is being mimicked by drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide, the active ingredients in popular and highly effective weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound. As CNN reports, two biotech startups are working on gene therapy treatments that would require, in a best-case scenario, a single injection that would reprogram the body's cells to produce the hormone instead of relying on weekly injections like current drugs.

The OASIS 4 phase 3 trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, marks a major advance in Novo Nordisk's effort to expand obesity treatment options. Conducted over 64 weeks, the study compared once-daily oral semaglutide 25 mg plus lifestyle changes with a placebo in 307 adults who were obese or overweight and had at least one weight-related condition, but did not have diabetes.

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.