After years of persistent shortages, Canadians can now access Wegovy, an off-label weight loss drug made by the same makers of Ozempic.
Novo Nordisk’s drug officially hit shelves on Monday, marking its availability despite having the green light in Canada since 2021. Wegovy’s arrival holds promise for those battling obesity and diabetes.
However, as excitement grows, questions may arise about how they differ from drugs like Ozempic, their ideal candidates, and potential side effects.
“This is a medical treatment approved and studied in people living with a disease, obesity,” Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam of Obesity Canada told Global News.
“In addition to losing weight to improve health, we also have evidence that this [Wegovy] it also improves and reduces cardiovascular events in people who have had a previous history.”
In Canada, the prevalence of obesity tripled over the past three decades and now affects one in four adults, according to Obesity Canada.
Obesity not only decreases a person’s quality of life and life expectancy, but also increases the risk of serious chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease , Sockalingam said.
“We want to think about how we can intervene early and prevent this,” said Sockalingam, adding that he believes drugs like Wegovy will have a huge impact on the health of Canadians as it is “another tool in our toolbox to treat obesity”. “
Wegovy is the brand name for a drug called semaglutide, the same as Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic.
The drugs belong to a family of drugs known as GLP-1 analogs that were originally designed to control blood sugar but also caused weight loss by making people feel full.
Weekly injections start at 0.25 milligrams of the active ingredient semaglutide and gradually increase to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg, according to the company’s website.
How does it differ from Ozempic?
Wegovy contains the same drug, semaglutide, as Ozempic but at a higher dose, said Dr. Tom Elliott, endocrinologist and medical director of BCDiabetes.
The latest medical and health news is emailed every Sunday.
“It’s the same wording,” he told Global News. “Ozempic comes in at a maximum dose of one milligram per week, while Wegovy comes in at a maximum dose of 2.4 mg per week.”
Wegovy is also specifically approved for chronic weight control and is given as a higher-dose injection once a week. In contrast, Ozempic is primarily approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and is usually given as a lower-dose injection once a week.
Elliott said he has been prescribing Ozempic off-label for weight management with his patients for years. And with Wegovy now accessible, he intends to transition his patients to this new weight management option.
“I think it’s a great thing,” he said. “The stigma of obese people taking Ozempic will now disappear. It’s a drug that’s Health Canada-approved for obesity. It’s safe and it’s on the label. And doctors across the country can prescribe it this medicine with good conscience to people with obesity.“
Wegovy is usually prescribed for people seeking effective treatment for obesity and is recommended for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or higher and who have at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure high, type 2. diabetes or high cholesterol, according to Health Canada’s statement of approval for the drug.
“You have to have another comorbidity, like sleep apnea or hypertension,” Elliott said. “But most people with significant obesity will have one of these two things.”
The drug is intended to be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to improve weight loss.
Obesity is a major medical concern, and while Wegovy represents a crucial treatment option, Sockalingam emphasized that the drug should not be seen as a cosmetic solution to losing 15 pounds quickly.
He highlighted a crucial distinction between individuals who suffer from obesity as a chronic disease and those who have temporarily gained weight and are overweight.
“This is not for people to simply lose a few pounds. This is not some kind of cosmetic agent. This is a drug that is a treatment for a medical condition that is obesity and how we are defining it,” he said. .
“There are side effects that we have to think about and one thing is gastrointestinal side effects. These are things that should be monitored by a doctor and are not a quick fix for a few pounds.”
The most common side effects of Wegovy include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal (stomach) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, gas, stomach flu, and heartburn. ‘stomach, according to the company. web site
Elliott said side effects are rare, but they do happen.
“Only rarely are these drugs not tolerated,” he said. “I’d say only one in 20 people can’t take them because of the side effects. The main side effect is nausea and occasionally vomiting.”
Elliott believes Wegovy’s biggest drawback is the price.
“It’s going to be expensive. It’s probably not going to be covered by public insurance, it’s going to take a while for the different provincial plans and the private plans to get going,” he said.
According to the Canadian Journal of Health TechnologiesWegovy treatment is expected to cost approximately C$4,726 per patient per year.
And because the drug only works as long as you take it, that means people may have to stay on Wegovy indefinitely, Elliott said.
“Most people who start these medications will stay on them as long as they can afford them,” he added.
#Wegovy #Canada #shouldnt #weightloss #drug #National #Globalnews.ca
Image Source : globalnews.ca