Ozempic and Wegovy — both injectable forms of semaglutide — have become synonymous with weight loss in recent months and years. Now a new drug is on the horizon that would offer the same medication in an oral (pill) format.
Created by Novo Nordisk, the same company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, the new drug just completed its Phase 3 clinical trials. The results were announced on Sunday at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Session in Los Angeles, California.
The oral medication, which is indicated for type 2 diabetes or weight loss for patients with obesity, would provide an alternative to people who are not open to getting injections.
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“Our focus has been primarily on people with diabetes, but it turns out that the vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes also have obesity,” Gabbay explained.
“So having a medication that can address a central issue for people with diabetes is really important — especially for those who are somewhat resistant to or concerned about doing an injection.”
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“They could have [had] pre-diabetes, but they were not allowed to be enrolled in the trial if they had type 2 diabetes.”
The average amount lost by the patients was 44 pounds.
In addition to helping with weight loss, the semaglutide medication can also help to reduce cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes, Gabbay noted.
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“For those people who are at high risk or [who] already have cardiovascular disease, the parent drug has been shown to reduce mortality, and there’s no reason to expect that this wouldn’t be the case with the oral version,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“We’re pleased to see that there are new options for people with diabetes and obesity,” Gabbay said.
“Having something that is orally available should increase the number of people who can benefit from these kinds of treatments.”