New weight-loss drug heralded as 'game changer'

[NJCher]

A new weight-loss treatment is being heralded by some health experts as "groundbreaking," and a potential "game changer" in the growing epidemic of obesity.

Semaglutide, an injectable drug made by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, was approved Friday by the Food and Drug Administration, for patients struggling with chronic obesity.

"We don't use those terms lightly," Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine professor Dr. Robert F. Kushner, an obesity medicine specialist and trial investigator for the drug, told ABC News. "I've been involved in the field for 40 years. The reason we think that way, it results in amount of weight loss of an average of 15% or more, which we have not seen before."

Currently, 42.4% of all adults in the U.S. suffer from obesity, defined as having a body mass index at or above 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Today’s approval offers adults with obesity or overweight a beneficial new treatment option to incorporate into a weight management program,” John Sharretts, deputy director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

Semaglutide was approved in 2019 by the FDA to treat Type 2 diabetes, sold under the brand name Ozempic, albeit at a lower dose. At the higher dose of 2.4 mg, the drug acts on centers in the brain to reduce appetite, leading to potentially significant weight loss when combined with increased physical activity, and counseling sessions with nutritionists to maintain a reduced-calorie diet.

More at link: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/newly-approved-drug-heralded-game-changer-growing-national/story?id=78065574

[soothsayer]

1. Still gotta diet and exercise (which is not a bad thing)

Just not magical.

[NJCher]

2. no, not a bad thing

since more and more evidence is turning up that exercise staves off dementia.

Exercise is also one of the best mood changers out there.

[davsand]

3. I take the drug now for Type 2 Diabetes. It's not free of side effects even at this lower dose.

The dosage for Type 2 diabetes is much lower than the dose approved for weight loss (.5mg -v- 2.4mg for weight loss) Even at this lower dose I have side effects that are not terribly pleasant. It impacts on the entire digestive system ranging from the "dire-rears" to constipation--depending on what I eat. It also leaves me with acid reflux and gas. Part of how it works is to slow down gut motility, and that seems to be a pretty consistent issue for many of its users. It also kills your appetite. Once you start on the drug you really do seem to lose most cravings and even hunger.

It is a once weekly injection and the negative effects do seem to be worse in the days immediately following the injection. Injections are painless, the needles for the pre loaded pens are very fine, and short (it's subcutaneous.) Most of the time I really don't feel it, TBH. A lot of people are put off by the injection aspect of it, but it's not that bad in actual use. Certainly, it's easier than a daily shot or shots of insulin, so...

It does work really well for reducing my blood glucose. My doc says that once insulin resistance is resolved he feels excess weight will resolve itself (as long as the portion and diet control continue) and that with a healthier lifestyle it might be possible to not need the drug any longer. He makes no promises, however. I truly don't know if I'd want to take the drug solely for weight loss. I think that higher dose would be tough to deal with.

YMMV, but I figured I'd share my own experience here.

Regards!


Laura

[NJCher]

12. thank you, Laura

that's very helpful information.

If I want to lose some weight, I just put in more hours at the garden. However, I read on this topic because I once worked for a drug company that had a weight loss drug in the marketplace. It had similar side effects to what you describe.

[Oppaloopa]

14. Thank you . Metformin takes my hunger much less. I wonder if they will have a special diet with

this to help eliminate gross side effects and the need to carry a extra pair of underwear with ya. Remember??

[davsand]

16. Metformin was a horrible experience for me.

I couldn't leave the house, and rarely got further than about 10 feet from the bathroom. Even then, I ended up buying some new clothing. If you think colonoscopy prep 24/7 for several weeks, you will be pretty close to what that experience was like for me. I lost weight, but at an awful emotional and physical expense. Ozempic has not been anywhere as awful as that experience was...

The constipation with Ozempic seems to be the most commonly discussed issue. Sounds like with other users it's a situation where either you are either plugged up like somebody poured instant cement in your gut or else you need to live in the bathroom. I know that in my own case, most of the time I'm either taking a big dose of Mag/Cal or taking a stool softener. Fiber supplements are not a great idea because they sit in your gut and ferment with the slowed gut motility. The mental debate becomes an inability to go to the bathroom or living with bubble-guts 24/7. I choose to live with that dilemma for now, but I can see how it will get old pretty quick.

It comes down to the question is weight loss worth that to somebody? Everybody has their own opinion.

Regards!


Laura

[dutch777]

4. Might have to look at Novo Nordisk as a possible stock buy.

They have been been a leader in diabetic drug category for a long time but something that treats weight very effectively will likely become popular even in those not diabetic.

[tulipsandroses]

7. I don't think it will be a game changer because the cost will be prohibitive. A similar med already

exists. Saxenda a similar drug has been around for awhile. Saxenda is a daily injection This is a weekly injection. Most insurance plans do not cover obesity. Interestingly they cover the costs that come from complications of obesity. Lifelong diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, cancer, sleep apnea, and on and on. They sure will cover those drugs, doctor visits, hospital stays, surgeries. But not medication or care to effectively prevent those issues.

If your insurance plan does not cover obesity, then you pay out of pocket. Not too many people want to cough up $1400 a month or have that kind of money to spare. So I doubt that the weekly injection will make these types of drugs any more popular. Not until they are more affordable. I don't see any of these meds becoming affordable for most, any time soon. Drug companies are slick at keeping prices high. Last year Saxenda was approved in use of obese children. Why? Extending the patent to keep the price high. Saxenda was approved in 2014. A a new drug has a 7 yr patent. Generics can be made after the 7 yrs. EXCEPT that the Saxenda makers added a new use for the medication. That now prevents generics from being made. What year is this? 2021. Oh it would have been 7 yrs since Saxenda was first approved. Also works for them since this new med does not have approval for children.

Not saying the stock won't do well. I just don't think it will have a wide appeal due to being cost prohibitive

[Oppaloopa]

15. Is this another Donald Trump change?

[tulipsandroses]

5. Fantastic. My doc wanted me to wait for the approval of this med. I am on a similar med

He told me that this works way better than what I take now. I take Saxenda. Super expensive. Which is a drawback of these medications.
Which brings us back to the health care/cost debate.
I bought my medication from Canada. Saxenda in the USA would have cost me $1400 - It cost me $500 in Canada.
I will do the same with this if my doc switches me to this med.

The drug companies need to answer why meds are so expensive here. I saw Rep Porter grill the Abbvie CEO about the cost of meds recently. If Canada can sell the same branded medicine at almost 1/3 of the cost. Its not a matter of how much it cost to make the med as they usually claim.

[Sibelius Fan]

9. I inject Cosentyx once monthly for psoriasis. Been on it over 5 years

and it works amazingly well.

Bernie Sanders liked to cite Cosentyx (made by Novartis) as one of those expensive drugs as it costs $3000 a month in the USA, $1500 in Canada.

Ah, but the proof is in the pudding. I have never paid a cent for it, as I get my prescription filled through the Novartis Foundation. Yep, it costs me $0. Basically, if you earn up to four times the poverty rate you can get the drug at no cost from the manufacturer’s foundation.

If you make more than that, Novartis has a secondary insurance card they issue that allows one to get the drug for $5, but you need to go through your primary insurance to use it. That wouldn’t work for me as I’m with Kaiser Permanente - they don’t accept secondary insurance plans. My monthly dosage would cost me $250 under my KP Medicare Advantage plan.

[tulipsandroses]

11. My son takes a med that is over a thousand dollars that he gets for free from the drug company

Last edited Sat Jun 5, 2021, 04:07 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't qualify for any of those programs. To make matters worse, a rule change last year makes it more expensive to use the copay cards. I don't want to derail the the thread so I am going to start another thread about that.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215498647
I wanted to make a separate thread about drug company copay and assistance

[NJCher]

13. I might be able to answer that...

The drug companies need to answer why meds are so expensive here.

The drug company I used to work for once had a seminar on the cost of prescription drugs. One of the issues that came up was that the same drugs are sold in Canada for much less than in the U.S. The answer to why that is was very simple: because Americans can pay the higher prices.

Now, this was 15+ years ago so I do not know if the Canadian incomes compare similarly to those in the U.S.

But that was the answer to your question.

[davsand]

6. I take the drug now for Type 2 Diabetes. It's not free of side effects even at this lower dose.

The dosage for Type 2 diabetes is much lower than the dose approved for weight loss (.5mg -v- 2.4mg for weight loss) Even at this lower dose I have side effects that are not terribly pleasant. It impacts on the entire digestive system ranging from the "dire-rears" to constipation--depending on what I eat. It also leaves me with acid reflux and gas. Part of how it works is to slow down gut motility, and that seems to be a pretty consistent issue for many of its users. It also kills your appetite. Once you start on the drug you really do seem to lose most cravings and even hunger.

It is a once weekly injection and the negative effects do seem to be worse in the days immediately following the injection. Injections are painless, the needles for the pre loaded pens are very fine, and short (it's subcutaneous.) Most of the time I really don't feel it, TBH. A lot of people are put off by the injection aspect of it, but it's not that bad in actual use. Certainly, it's easier than a daily shot or shots of insulin, so...

It does work really well for reducing my blood glucose. My doc says that once insulin resistance is resolved he feels excess weight will resolve itself (as long as the portion and diet control continue) and that with a healthier lifestyle it might be possible to not need the drug any longer. He makes no promises, however. I truly don't know if I'd want to take the drug solely for weight loss. I think that higher dose would be tough to deal with.

YMMV, but I figured I'd share my own experience here.

Regards!


Laura

[NanananaFatman]

8. Lmao

Groundbreaking my big hairy butt.

Dood interviewed is biased. And it works with increased exercise and a calorie restricted diet.

This is all about the Benjamin’s.

[TomSlick]

10. That seems a bold statement.

Weight-loss medications cannot reasonably be expected to replace diet and exercise. A medication that caused weight loss among sedentary patients with poor diets would likely have extreme side effects. There was no claim this was a magic bullet, only that it was a groundbreaking advancement.

For patients with intractable morbid obesity, an improvement in available medications should be welcome.

[gopiscrap]

17. welcome to DU

[Sugarcoated]

19. How is the guy interviewed biased?