An Exposé on the World’s New Favorite Medicine: Ozempic

Ozempic, a semaglutide medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has risen to fame over the last few years due to its weight loss properties. Per NPR, about 12.4% of adults in the United States reported taking Ozempic or other GLP-1 agonists, which is a drastic increase from a poll in February 2024 where only about 5.8% of adults reported using these medications.  Initially, Ozempic was approved in 2017 by the FDA to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; however, a similar medication Wegoby was approved by the FDA in 2021 for the specific purpose of weight loss. Ozempic was approved as an injectable medication, while other GLP-1 antagonists have been approved as tablet medications to be taken daily. When Ozempic was initially approved by the FDA, its main focus was to help those with type 2 diabetes and specifically “reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events and worsening kidney disease”.  Per CNBC in the last quarter of 2022, about 9 million prescriptions were written for different types of GLP-1 medications. In addition, prescription volumes for these types of medications have increased 300% between 2020 and 2022. This sharp increase in the use of Ozempic has not only adverse effects on the medical field but today’s society as well.

Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications are used for weight loss and type 2 diabetes due to their abilities to cause patients to reduce their overall consumption of food. Per Harvard Health, “GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists are a class of medications that work by mimicking the natural GLP-1 hormone. This hormone is released by the gut in response to eating and has several effects that help regulate blood sugar levels, hunger, and slow disgestion”. While in the body, these GLP-1’s reduce the effects of being hungry due to them reducing overall appetite, which can cause weight loss. Per the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in addition to curbing appetite, the medication can also decrease cravings for food. Initially, Ozempic was approved for type 2 diabetes since it can lower blood sugar and A1C levels due to its ability to mimic the GLP-1 hormone, subsequently increasing insulin production. Using these types of medications can result in an average loss of 20% of your initial body weight; however, it comes with many side effects including nausea, reflux, cramping, and constipation. Columbia’s department of surgery further explains how using Ozempic for weight loss is not advised due to the adverse side effects, lifelong use (for weight loss maintenance), and high costs. 

The rise of Ozempic not only leads to many people needing the drug and the inability to access it, but also the craze of “skinny culture” to return. Per the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law, in 2023 approximately one-third of Ozempic prescriptions were for weight loss purposes and not the intended purpose. In addition, many influences and celebrities have endorsed using Ozempic for its weight loss abilities without mentioning the side effects, which in addition lead to more young people using the drug for weight loss. In a study done by the University of Michigan Medical School, they found a 594.4% increase in the amount of 12-25 year olds getting Ozempic prescribed to them. Now this increase is also coupled with the increase in social media attention that these weight loss drugs have been getting, especially since side effects have not been mentioned. In a study published in the Journey of Medicine, Surgery, and Public health, researchers observed different Tiktok videos about Ozempic and weight loss and found that social media has a direct influence on public perception of weight loss. Specifically this study also found that this increase has resulted in those needing Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications for their intended use are not able to get the medication due to increases in price and consumption. Not to mention, the rise of Ozempic has also correlated with the rise of “Skinny” in which mainly women are praised to be at their thinnest.