How much could Ozempic change our world?

The weight-loss drug has made headlines and broken sales records, but what does it mean for our future?

- ELIZABETH BENNETT

Lots of strange things happened in 2023. But one thing (arguably the most notable thing to happen that year) went largely unnoticed. For the first time since the 1980s, the number of people with obesity in the US decreased.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the obesity rate dropped by almost two per cent from 41.9 per cent in 2017-2020 to 40.3 per cent in 2021-2023.

So what caused this sudden change in American health? While we can't say for certain that it was a result of weight-loss drugs, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (an independent source for health policy research) says that one in eight US adults has used a weight-loss drug like Ozempic at some point in their life. And since around half of these adults are currently using a prescription, it's fair to say that drugs like these are likely to have played a part.

Originally created to treat type 2 diabetes, Ozempic was developed by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, as was its stronger successor Wegovy, which, unlike Ozempic, is specifically intended for weight loss. Both are part of a growing category of gastrointestinal hormone drugs.

When injected weekly, semaglutide (the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy) helps to lower blood sugar levels and decrease appetite. But as the research and data on these drugs' effects increases, the potential for them to help with other medical conditions - from cardiovascular health to addiction - seems to grow continually. So just how much could these drugs change our lives?

OZEMPIC'S IMPACT

We're not in a position to fully grasp Ozempic's effect on the world yet, but what we do know is that use of the drug and its counterparts has been huge.