In June 2021, the Meals & Drug Administration accredited Wegovy (generic title: Semaglutide) for power weight administration—making it the best remedy of its type to hit the market in many years. Administered utilizing a easy pen that injects the remedy beneath the pores and skin, Wegovy mimics the hormone often called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is a substance that impacts the areas of the mind that assist regulate meals consumption and urge for food.
Since its approval, nonetheless, getting Wegovy into the fingers of sufferers has been extraordinarily troublesome each right here at True You Weight Loss and throughout the nation. This is because of a mix of things together with manufacturing points and an extremely excessive demand for the remedy.
“In our apply alone, we’ve got lots of of sufferers ready to begin taking Wegovy,” explains Dr. Christopher McGowan, Founder and Medical Director of True You Weight Loss. “Many different sufferers have needed to both cease taking the remedy, change doses, or transfer to interim therapies amidst the scarcity. This remedy is a particularly efficient instrument within the combat towards weight problems. Because of this, the shortages have had an actual and lasting affect on our sufferers, so we’re very desirous to see a decision within the coming months.”
Is the Wegovy Scarcity Lastly Ending?
Fortuitously, as of at present (December 28, 2022) Wegovy producer Novo Nordisk has confirmed that each one dose strengths of Wegovy at the moment are out there to retail pharmacies nationwide—giving many sufferers hope of lastly having access to the remedy in 2023. The producer warned that pharmacies might expertise regular delays “given the time required to order the product from their native distribution heart, and geographical variabilities.”
“Based mostly on current communication with our Novo Nordisk gross sales consultant as of simply this month, we’ve got each motive to hope that we’ll have the ability to resume our complete True You Rx program for sufferers who’re eligible for Wegovy in early 2023,” explains Dr. McGowan.
It’s necessary to notice that Wegovy is meant to be taken indefinitely, just like different medicines for power well being situations corresponding to excessive ldl cholesterol or diabetes. Dr. McGowan and his workforce remind sufferers that in medical trials, sufferers who stopped taking Wegovy typically regained most or the entire weight that had been misplaced.
“As weight problems medication physicians, getting access to these efficient medicines is extremely necessary in serving to our sufferers enhance their well being and high quality of life. I’m thrilled to see the medical neighborhood lastly begin acknowledging weight problems as a power illness, moderately than an issue of selection or willpower.”
Whereas it’s troublesome to know when the remedy will turn out to be broadly out there at retail pharmacies, we’re hopeful that we will start prescribing Wegovy once more by January 2023 for eligible sufferers.
What’s Wegovy?
Wegovy is identical remedy as a beforehand accredited antidiabetic drug known as Ozempic. Nonetheless, Wegovy is indicated and prescribed particularly for weight administration. However, solely sufferers with diabetes can or can be prescribed Ozempic. Each medication have a number of key capabilities:
- improves the secretion of insulin by the pancreas
- encourages smaller meal measurement and extends a sense of fullness as a result of abdomen emptying extra slowly
- reduces blood sugar by limiting glucose manufacturing within the liver
- slows down intestinal motility
- reduces starvation by way of results on the urge for food facilities within the mind
Due to the potential for gastrointestinal uncomfortable side effects, the dose is elevated regularly over a interval of 16 to twenty weeks to a full dose of two.4 mg as soon as every week. Wegovy isn’t meant to be mixed with different weight reduction medicines or different merchandise that include semaglutide.
Who’s Eligible for Wegovy?
Wegovy is meant for overweight or chubby sufferers who’ve a BMI of 30 or greater—or a BMI of 27 or greater with an extra obesity-related well being drawback (corresponding to sort 2 diabetes, hypertension, or excessive ldl cholesterol).
Widespread Facet Results of Wegovy
The extended dosage enhance and using subcutaneous injection are aimed toward serving to the physique slowly regulate to the remedy, however there are some doable uncomfortable side effects. The affect on bowel motility specifically can have hostile results on the gastrointestinal tract; nausea, vomiting, belly ache, diarrhea, constipation, or indigestion are a number of the extra widespread uncomfortable side effects. Individuals with sort 2 diabetes might even expertise hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as a result of drug’s impact on insulin manufacturing.
How A lot Weight Do Sufferers Lose on Wegovy?
In one of the crucial profitable trials, individuals had a mean preliminary physique weight of 231 kilos and a BMI of 38. Individuals who acquired Wegovy misplaced a mean of 14.9% of their preliminary physique weight (a lack of about 33 kilos) in the course of the 68-week trial. Those that acquired a placebo misplaced solely 2.4% of their physique weight. As a result of its affect on each weight reduction and blood sugar management, Wegovy can also be nonetheless particularly efficient for individuals with sort 2 diabetes.
About True You Rx
True You Weight Loss recommends dropping pounds with Wegovy as a part of a complete weight administration program to incorporate a bodily health routine, dietary help, and wholesome consuming habits. Our True You Rx program begins with an preliminary remedy session to evaluation your medical historical past, talk about your weight reduction objectives, and decide if Wegovy is an applicable therapy for you, together with an preliminary diet session. If accredited, you’ll meet with a well being coach on a month-to-month foundation, and can obtain ongoing remedy help out of your doctor. Your Wegovy prescription can be refilled on a month-to-month foundation at your native pharmacy.
