High street retailer Boots is set to sell Wegovy, the weight loss drug gaining notoriety on social media.
Wegovy has the same active ingredient as Ozempic which is Semaglutide.
Semaglutide blunts a person’s appetite.
- Warning that Ozempic and Mounjaro can trigger accelerated aging
- TikTok influencer describes weight gain after quitting Ozempic
Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, the medication has to be self-injected into the stomach once every week.
The drug can help people lose a fifth of their total body weight, research has found.
University College London researcher, Rachel Batterham has labelled the drug as “game changing”.
According to recent reports, businessman Elon Musk uses Semaglutide to maintain a healthy weight and Khloe Kardashian lost seven kilograms by using the drug.
Semaglutide injection is in a class of medications called incretin mimetics.
It works by helping the pancreas to release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high.
It helps people lose weight because it increases the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas and decreases the amount of glucagon produced by the liver. This combination results in reduced hunger and increased energy levels, leading to weight loss.
In 2019, nearly 70% of males aged between 16 and 75 were branded as obese or overweight, the Health Survey for England reported.
People with a BMI of 30 may be eligible to be prescribed Semaglutide on the NHS, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced.
According to NICE, obese individuals will more likely be given access to the weight-loss drug if they have obstructive sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, heart disease and dyslipidaemia.
- Type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic now available in UK
- Liverpool resident who reversed a 23-year diagnosis of type 2 diabetes makes national news
She said: “For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery.”
A Boots representative added: “Wegovy is a prescription-only weight-loss medicine that can help to regulate appetite and reduce cravings.
“It can be an effective medicine to achieve sustained weight loss when used alongside a reduced calorie diet, increased physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.”
