Semaglutide: A New Anti-Obesity Medication

The search for effective and safe weight loss treatment seems never-ending, but the newest anti-obesity medication, semaglutide, is still making waves more than a year after its 2021 approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . The injectable drug, initially only used as diabetes medication, is the first drug since Saxenda (2014) approved to treat chronic weight management in the 70% of American adults who are obese or overweight. Research continues to show the effectiveness of semaglutide injections for weight loss, it also highlights the value of treating obesity as a chronic metabolic disease instead of expecting people to rely solely on willpower and lifestyle changes to manage their condition.

What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs, which mimics the GLP-1 hormone, released in the gut in response to eating. One role of GLP-1 is to prompt the body to produce more insulin, which reduces blood sugar (glucose). For that reason, health care providers have used semaglutide for more than 15 years to treat Type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 in higher amounts also interacts with the parts of the brain that suppress your appetite and signal you to feel full, when used in conjunction with diet and exercise, it can cause significant weight loss — and a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease — in people who are obese or overweight.

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How Effective is Semaglutide for Weight Loss?

Currently, semaglutide is only approved for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy. The typical dose for weight loss is 2.4 milligrams, administered weekly as subcutaneous (under the skin) self-injections, as interest in semaglutide for weight loss continues to grow, health care professionals are finding ways to manage the demand, so many prescribe other brands of semaglutide, such as Ozempic and Rybelsus, off-label (using a drug that is FDA-approved for a different reason). There have been several anti-obesity medications that help suppress appetite and achieve weight loss, but semaglutide performs on a new level. An early study of 2,000 obese adults compared people using semaglutide plus a diet and exercise program with people who made the same lifestyle changes without semaglutide, the results showed that those taking semaglutide lost an average of 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks.

Who Should (and Should Not) Take Semaglutide for Weight Loss?

The FDA recommends Wegovy for weight loss if you meet one of the following criteria: Have a body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/m2 or greater and at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure , Type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. However, it’s important to remember that obesity is heterogenous, chronic and complex. There is no cure for obesity. It requires lifelong treatment that’s not one size fits all.

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