The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved, this Monday (1/2), the commercialization of Wegovy (2.4 mg semaglutide) in Brazil. The injectable drug for weekly use has action similar to that of Ozempicbut it is the first to be authorized to deal with the overweight and obesity not country.
Both are manufactured by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals and are to be administered weekly through an applicator pen for subcutaneous injection.
Furthermore, the two remedies contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, an analogue of the GLP-1 hormone naturally produced in the intestine. The substance acts on specific centers in the brain – a region called the hypothalamus – which control hunger and satiety.
The main differences between Wegovy and Ozempic are the available dosage and the indication for use. “In practical terms, when both indications have been approved it means that they have been studied in the appropriate populations and efficacy and safety have been demonstrated,” explains endocrinologist Priscilla Mattar, medical director of Novo Nordisk.
Ozempico
Ozempic was approved by Anvisa in 2018 a treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes with weekly doses of 0.5 mg or 1 mg. In addition to controlling the disease, it has been shown to play an important role in patients’ weight loss, which is why it has become popular among people trying to lose weight in recent years.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) for people who are obese or overweight. In Brazil, however, it is used for this purpose “off label”, i.e. outside the package leaflet.
Wegs
Wegovy, in turn, is already reaching the Brazilian market with Anvisa’s approval for weight loss for people with overweight, obesity and comorbidities.
Priscilla explains that the drug will be marketed in five presentations (pens with four doses of 0.25 mg; 0.5 mg; 1 mg; 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg). “The patient should increase the dose every four weeks as recommended in the package leaflet. To reach the therapeutic dose (2.4 mg), the individual will have to go through all the other doses,” says the endocrinologist.
It teaches that because it has a much higher dose than Ozempic, Wegovy’s effects are more potent for weight loss. The most common adverse events are gastrointestinal, but most are mild or moderate in severity and transient, as with other drugs of the same class.
After your registration has been approved by Anvisa, the next step is price approval, which takes at least 90 days. “With this, the medicine should arrive in Brazil in the second semester,” says Priscilla.
overweight and obesity
More than 1 billion people worldwide, including adults, adolescents and children, are obese, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The disease affects most systems of the body and can lead to complications in the heart, liver, kidneys, joints and reproductive system, such as the development of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. type 2 diabetes and various forms of cancer, as well as complications from Covid-19.
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