This drug, initially intended to treat diabetes, was recently tested: it allows people suffering from morbid obesity to lose weight.
- A drug, called Wegovy, could be available in France.
- Initially used to treat diabetes, it allows obese people to lose weight.
- Its long-term side effects are not yet known.
A drug could help people with obesity lose weight. In a communicated published on March 19, the National Medicines Safety Agency publishes the results from a study carried out on this treatment called Wegovy. In total, 7,048 people took the treatment between July 21, 2022 and September 27, 2023.
Diabetes drug tested in treatment of obesity
Initially, this drug from the Novo Nordisk laboratory was developed to treat diabetes. But it belongs to a category of drugs that interests scientists as part of their research into the treatment of obesity: GLP1 analogues. “The most promising is currently semaglutide, first developed in the treatment of type 2 diabetes at a dose of 1 mg per week under the name Ozempic, specifies the report from the Epi-Phare group (scientific interest group in epidemiology of health products ANSM-Cnam), at the origin of the study. At higher doses (up to 2.4 mg per week), under the name Wegovy, it benefited from a Temporary Cohort Use Authorization (ATUc), on June 29, 2021 by the ANSM, and then a Marketing Authorization (AMM) on January 7, 2022, in the treatment of obesity.” This authorization concerned adults with a body mass index greater than or equal to 40 kg/m². “This treatment is based on a weekly injection, with monthly dose escalation.indicates the ANSM.
Understanding the profile and use of obesity treatment
“The objectives of this report were to describe the profile of Wegovy® users and the different dose schedules dispensed, in real life, as part of this early access., specifies the document. The average age of the participants was 48 and a half years, and the majority were women. 81% of them had a weight-related comorbidity: high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular or kidney disease, etc. Three usage patterns were observed by the researchers: “Patients who received treatment according to dose escalation recommendations (69.2%), patients interrupting their treatment early (17.2%) and finally, patients starting with high doses of Wegovy from the outset (13 .6%)”.
Drug against obesity: several uncertainties about its long-term effects
The agency specifies that longer-term monitoring of patients will allow “to evaluate the evolution of the different use profiles as part of its marketing”. Another study program will be launched to evaluate the risks associated with the use of this medicine. In another document, the ANSM explains that the most frequently reported adverse effects are gastrointestinal disorders including nausea, diarrhea, constipation and vomiting. The duration of the studies carried out is limited to 68 weeks, and further research will be necessary to understand the long-term effects. “We can be at the dawn of a revolution, if we use it well”explains Pierre Azam, nutritionist and founder of the obesity observatory, to BFMTV, while emphasizing that there may be surprises in the long term.
