Used as a treatment for massive obesity, Wegovy is the subject of a warning by the French Society of Endocrinology. This Tuesday, November 12, the latter recalls the conditions for prescribing the drug and warns of the multiple excesses of poor medical monitoring.
Since its marketing on October 8, the Wegovy obesity treatment has continued to be diverted from its initial use: some patients basing their expectations exclusively on aesthetic issues to the detriment of the effectiveness of the drug, or even even its health risks.
A phenomenon which had the consequence of causing the reaction French Society of Endocrinology (SFE)which alerted the general public this Tuesday, November 12, to the dangers of its abusive injection.
The conditions to be met to be prescribed Wegovy
Wegovy, popularized in the United States and on social networks for several months under the name Ozempic, is a medication used in the treatment of obesity.
According to Doctor Boris Hansel, endocrinologist and nutritionist at Bichat hospital in Paris, Wegovy is not always, since its marketing at the beginning of October 2024, administered to patients suffering from massive obesity such as recommends it High Health Authority (HAS).
“Wegovy is not a slimming drug. It is a drug to treat a chronic disease called obesity,” explained Boris Hansel on the set of BFMTV on October 29.
For him, patients confuse the use of Wegovy to treat obesity and its use for purely aesthetic purposes. “When people come to see you and say ‘I have a few extra pounds, come on, I’m going to take a little Wegovy as a cure’ or people who are not being followed for a chronic illness and who tell you ‘I have tried everything, I now want the medicine’, it’s not at all the right situation for effectiveness with a good risk profile”, he adds on BFMTV.
A point to which the French Society of Endocrinology returns this November 12, through a press release recalling the conditions of access to the prescription of the drug set by the HAS:
- Being massively obese, i.e. having a “BMI greater than or equal to 35kg/m2”.
- Follow the treatment “in addition to hygienic and dietary measures”.
- Be followed by a “doctor specializing in endocrinology, diabetology and nutrition”.
“Strict medical indications”, again according to the SFE, and in firm opposition to “self-medication or the use of Wegovy outside of endocrinological monitoring”. Negligent patients face risks to their health such as “serious adverse reactions and long-term consequences.”
Particularly serious side effects
According to the press release from the SFE and endocrinologist Helena Mosbah, “the use of Wegovy without medical supervision can lead to serious adverse effects, such as nutritional deficiencies, malnutrition and/or worsening of eating disorders. “It is essential that this treatment is prescribed and followed by qualified healthcare professionals to ensure patient safety.”
When Wegovy is not injected into a person as part of precise monitoring and treatment against obesity, the patient may suffer from significant digestive disorders or nausea: these can go as far as vomiting. . Also, in the event of an overdose, the effectiveness of the treatment may be compromised.
At the microphone of BFMTV, Doctor Boris Hansel recalled the importance, on October 29, of close monitoring of prescriptions in order to prevent overweight patients from taking a medication recommended as part of the treatment of obesity. , emphasizing the “loss of chances” for the latter to see their medical situation improve.
Ozempic: a new miracle pill against obesity?
Note that in France, overweight and obesity affects 48.8% of French people (30.7% overweight and 18.1% obese), or 10 million people as reported by the SFE . In total, more than a million French people are massively obese, and therefore have a BMI greater than 40 kg/m2.
Margaux de Frouville, Valentin Grille with Camille Dubuffet
