A few years ago, talk show host Andy Cohen tweeted that celebrities were mysteriously ‘showing up 25 pounds lighter’ to red carpets, and joked: ‘What happens when they stop taking #Ozempic?’
Since then ‘Hollywood’s best-kept secret for staying in shape’ was coming into the spotlight, where reports claimed a number of musicians and actors had told them they ‘personally’ knew high-profile people using it, but not for the reason it was intended.
Another Variety article detailed more of the craze: A-listers were ‘quietly singing the drug’s praises’ on the encrypted messaging app Signal, paying $1,500 for a month’s supply, with it now an accepted part of the preparation for red carpet events alongside hair and make-up.
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The downside to all this? Like many celebrity-endorsed trends, the use of Ozempic for weight loss tricked down to the masses, with large numbers of people using the diabetes drug without consulting their doctors – and not for the reason intended. What this meant was the people who actually needed the drug couldn’t get it.
However now, the spotlight has moved to another self-administered weight loss injection made from the same compound as Ozempic – but called Wegovy.
‘You might have heard of Wegovy, an injection pen weight loss medicine that has been available in the United States since 2021. It has performed well in clinical trials, with patients reported as experiencing significant weight loss,’ an online pharmacy site reads.
Aimed at people who are severely overweight, Wegovy’s active ingredient is a medicine called semaglutide, which helps control blood sugar, lowers appetite, and makes patients feel fuller. It is also the active ingredient in sister drug Ozempic, which is used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Research suggests that Wegovy patients can lose more than 10% of their body weight. However, there can be side effects for some users, such as nausea and vomiting, and research shows that patients often put weight back on after stopping treatment.
“I think the only drug which it can be compared with is Viagra,” says Kurt Jacobsen, a professor of business history at Copenhagen Business School, in reference to Wegovy’s popularity.
What is the difference between Wegovy and Ozempic?
Ozempic, Ryblesus and Wegovy are all brand names for a compound called semaglutide. It is prescribed in various doses and can be in the form of a weekly injection – administered in the stomach, thigh or arm – or a daily oral tablet.
Wegovy is a higher dosing of an anti-obesity drug called semaglutide aimed at people with type 2 diabetes. It was developed a decade ago and has been available in a lower-dose form called Ozempic, designed for diabetics only, for the past five years.
Although each contains the same active ingredient, the doses are tailored for the condition they are registered to treat.
Is Wegovy safe?
As millions struggle to lose weight – and keep it off – the appetite for solutions that swerve the ‘eat-well-and-move-more’ messaging (that we as a brand stand for) will always be around. And the appeal of weight loss injections is nothing new.
It’s vital to note that doctors say the drug should only be used as a weight loss tool under medical supervision, and by those who are struggling with obesity, to a ‘severe’ degree. Why? Well for one, the array of side effects which can include nausea, cramping, diarrhoea, acid reflux, vomiting and constipation, as well as – less commonly – hair loss, heartburn and swelling at the site of injection. There is also a slight increased risk of pancreatitis, hypoglycemia and thyroid cancer.
Is Wegovy available in Australia?
Wegovy was officially registered by the therapeutic goods administration in late 2022 but has yet to be released.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee last month rejected the second application by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk to add Wegovy to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as a treatment for severe obesity, so currently, there is no confirmed date for its release in Australia
In a pitch to the Australian government, Novo Nordisk argued that listing Wegovy on the PBS – where it would also be available to eligible patients for $30 a month – would offer a “major treatment option for a significant portion of the overweight and obese Australian population”.
“The potential investment on the PBS into reducing the significant burden of disease and economic burden of obesity could be in the order of multiple billions over the forward estimates,” it said.
But in its decision, the pharmaceutical advisory committee said Wegovy was not cost-effective at the proposed price when considered next to the comparator of a placebo with diet and exercise. It said Novo Nordisk’s economic model was overly simplistic and unreliable, while the company needed to better define which patients should be eligible.
The decision to knock back Wegovy follows the PBAC’s similar call to reject another hyped weight-loss drug, Mounjaro, from the PBS for diabetes in July last year.
How much will Wegovy cost?
There is no confirmed cost for Wegovy for Australia. Like other GLP-1 receptor agonists in the same medicine family, it is expected to be a high, yet similar price.
Women’s Health does not endorse off-label use of the medication and always advocates for lifestyle-first weight loss methods. For any questions about weight loss medications, contact your GP or pharmacist.
