Weight loss drugs have made a huge impact on the pharmaceutical market this year. New products like Wegovy and Zepbound appear to be around to stay, not short-term fads.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 5 children struggle with obesity, making demand in the U.S. for the medications exceedingly high.
SANDERS MINIMUM WAGE BILL WOULD REDUCE POVERTY BY 400,000 BUT ALSO KILL 700,000 JOBS: CBO
Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy brought in record-breaking profits for the pharmaceutical company this year. Profits for Eli Lilly, maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound, also swelled.
Here are the top three stories this year about the new weight loss drugs only set to grow in importance in 2024.
Wegovy lowers heart attack and stroke risk in global trial
Data from a long-awaited worldwide trial, the “Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People With Overweight or Obesity” trial, or SELECT, was released this August, finding that Wegovy reduced heart attack and stroke incidences by 20% compared to placebo.
The study began in 2018 and measured adverse cardiovascular outcomes in over 17,000 patients across the world over the age of 45. The study found that patients on Wegovy had substantially lower risk of cardiovascular death as well as nonfatal strokes and heart attacks.
Novo Nordisk is the maker of the chemical compound semaglutide, which mimics a natural hormone in the body that makes a person feel full after eating. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the obesity medication Wegovy and the Type 2 diabetes treatment Ozempic, which is also often prescribed off-label for weight management.
Another study, partially funded by Novo Nordisk, emerged this summer, finding that Wegovy could be responsible for preventing as many as 1.5 million heart attacks in the U.S. over the next 10 years.
Food and Drug Administration approves Eli Lilly’s competitor drug
This November, the FDA approved Eli Lilly’s version of a competitor to Wegovy, Zepbound.
Lilly’s product, tirzepatide, has had approval as a diabetes management medication under the brand name Mounjaro. Tirzepatide functions similarly to semaglutide, also mimicking the natural hormone that makes a person feel full.
According to the FDA, Zepbound was slightly more effective in weight loss compared to Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide products, with Zepbound patients losing between 27 pounds and 29 pounds more on average compared to those solely on insulin.
Several other pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and Pfizer, are in competition with Novo Nordisk to bring to market pill forms of weight loss medication, which will have a wider reach than current injectable products.
Rare but severe complications from obesity drugs
Despite successes, Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro came under significant scrutiny this year for rare but severe gastrointestinal complications.
A Canadian study published in October found that nearly 10 in every 1,000 patients experienced stomach paralysis while taking semaglutide-based products. The study also found that both semaglutide and tirzepatide increased the risk of pancreatitis and bowel obstruction, both of which are medical emergencies.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In August, a Louisiana woman filed suit against both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for severe gastrointestinal complications, seeking damages for pain and suffering and her medical bills. Although Novo Nordisk argues that the side effects of its drug are “well-known,” the lawsuit has progressed and will likely spark fireworks in 2024.
Both drugs are also being investigated by European authorities for links to suicidal thoughts.
