Powerful weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, the breakthrough type 2 diabetes treatment, and obesity drug Wegovy, both developed by Danish company Novo Nordisk, came into the public eye last year, offering a new way to tackle record rates of obesity, but the extraordinary demand and high prices will keep them away from the many patients who could benefit from them in 2024, thus creating social inequities, Reuters comments.
The new drugs are known as “GLP-1 agonists,” and the therapies they involve can reduce appetite and hunger, inducing satiety. As for the results, they couldn’t be more promising: in clinical trials, participants lost between 15% and 20% of their body weight, depending on the drug. In the United States, for example, where about 40% of adults suffer from obesity, 120 million adults could be eligible for these treatments, so Novo Nordisk claims its target market is more than 760 million people with obesity in worldwide.
However, the company cannot produce enough Wegovy to meet demand, selling it only in a few of the richest countries in the world. In this situation, many people have turned to Ozempic, the diabetes drug developed by Novo, which contains the same active ingredient, semaglutide, to lose pounds. This increased demand has, in turn, generated a shortage of Ozempic and new problems regarding insurance for diabetes patients who need it, notes Reuters, cited by Agerpres.
Counteroffer to SUA
This is the context in which the American company Eli Lilly proposed Zepbound (the name under which it is marketed in the United States), another GLP-1, and the latest anti-obesity treatment launched by the company, after the reported success of Mounjaro, a drug aimed at the sick of diabetes. Both Mounjaro and Zepbound have as their active ingredient tirzepatide, a molecule already approved to treat diabetes, and were launched as an alternative to semaglutide-based drugs, already prescribed for weight loss.
Zepbound, administered by injection once a week, was shown in a large clinical trial to produce significant weight loss, as indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which gave the green light to this drug developed by Eli Lilly at the end of 2023.
It is important to note that Zepbound is licensed for people who are obese and overweight who also have an associated health problem (type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia or hypertension), and not for people who simply want to lose a few kilos.
The pharmaceutical industry tests new versions of drugs
Rivals in the pharmaceutical industry, including US Pfizer Inc (US) and Anglo-Swedish AstraZeneca Plc, are also trying to enter this expanding weight-loss drug market, which is expected to reach $100 billion. dollars in a decade. They are testing versions of drugs that could be both more affordable and with fewer side effects, Reuters notes.
Researchers have also found that these treatments can protect against heart and kidney disease, and are currently testing them for conditions such as Parkinson’s, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, sleep apnea or alcohol dependence. On the other hand, a recent study that analyzed several of these drugs showed that they increase the risk of gastrointestinal problems (intestinal obstruction and others). As for any long-term risk of these treatments, it will take years to determine.
Research primarily highlights the positive effects on patients’ lives
A large US study found no evidence that taking Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic or Wegovy is linked to an increase in suicidal thoughts.
In contrast, the analysis of data from electronic medical records of more than 1.8 million patients found a lower risk of new or recurrent suicidal thoughts in those taking semaglutide compared with those using other weight loss or diabetes medications.
When drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic or Zepbound work, they can change the lives of people whose weight increases their health risks, from diabetes to heart disease and kidney disease.
Among the risks of use – counterfeit versions or misuse
One source of concern is counterfeit versions of weight loss drugs, as counterfeit versions of Ozempic have already sent people to the hospital with dangerously low blood sugar.
Also, the interest aroused by these drugs among the general public raises the fear that non-obese people will misuse these treatments to lose a few kilos, for these people the risks associated with these drugs cannot be counterbalanced by the health benefits acquired by obese people .
Side effects of these drugs can include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal discomfort and pain, and even hair loss. Product leaflets also contain other important warnings that must be taken into account.
Medicines for the elite?
Many patients have struggled with obesity for years and have found that diet and exercise changes are not sustainable if they are limited to these alone.
But the costs of administering such treatments remain exorbitant at the moment. In the US, for example, retail prices for Wegovy and Zepbound exceed $1,000 per month. In addition, current data suggest that patients must continue to use these drugs long-term to maintain their weight loss, otherwise there is a risk of regaining the lost pounds.
Private health insurers are also finding ways to delay or deny the use of weight loss drugs. Some doctors say they have a harder time getting insurance coverage for obese black and Hispanic patients, who rely on government health plans and face a higher risk of diabetes and other complications.
“Will we have insurance coverage for most of us, or will it be a drug for the elite who can pay out of pocket?” asks Dr. Andres Acosta, an obesity expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
These trends raise profound questions for doctors trying to figure out which of their patients need these drugs the most and how to ensure they have access to them.
Dr. Lauren Eberly, a lecturer in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, found that the use of GLP-1 drugs to treat diabetes was lower among black, Asian and Hispanic patients using private health insurance than among white patients.
“We are really concerned about the inequities that this situation will perpetuate as a direct result of the inaccessibility of these drugs, especially for the more marginalized groups,” she stressed.
Editor: Liviu Cojan
2024-03-03 21:35:09
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