A new anti-obesity drug is announced as a game changer – BGR

• The obesity rate in the US has risen over the last decade and is now at a record high.
• Clinical trials involving semaglutide have seen obese patients lose an average of 33 kilograms in just over a year.
• Drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk has already requested FDA approval to use the drug – which is currently used to fight type 2 diabetes – as an anti-obesity drug.

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The obesity rate in America has risen in recent years, primarily because unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles are more common today than ever before. Consider this: the US obesity rate in 2021 is almost 30% higher than in 2008. In addition, recent health data show that 42% of all Americans are currently obese. In fact, 2020 was the first time that the obesity rate in the United States exceeded the 40% threshold. In light of the above, it is no wonder that heart disease remains the leading cause of all deaths in the United States.

While exercise and a healthy diet remain the best course of action in the fight against obesity, not everyone is able to incorporate these lifestyle changes, either for financial or health reasons. However, a new drug may just be the answer people are looking for.

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The drug is called semaglutide and is already used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. However, recent clinical studies show that taking a higher dose of the drug can help obese people start losing weight.

According to a recent research study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug helped people shed an average of 15% of their body weight after 68 weeks. To put this in context, someone who weighs 300 kilograms could lose over 45 kilograms in just over a year while taking semaglutide. Moreover, more than 33% of study participants reported losing 20% ​​of their body weight while taking the drug. The average amount of weight loss by study participants was approximately 34 pounds.

MedPageToday add:

In addition to weight loss, semaglutide also improved cardiovascular risk factors, including greater reductions in waist circumference, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, C-reactive proteins, and levels of lipids at rest, as well as scores of physical functioning and quality of life.

“This is a major breakthrough in improving the health of people with obesity,” said Professor Rachel Batterham of University College London. “No other drug has been able to produce this level of weight loss – this is really a game changer. For the first time, people can achieve through medication what was possible only through weight loss surgery. ”

The researchers note that the improvements seen in patients treated with semaglutide are much greater than what current anti-obesity drugs on the market offer. The drug program itself is not terribly expensive and requires one person to take only one pill once a week.

Following the successful clinical trial, Dr. Novo Nordisk is currently seeking FDA approval to use the drug as a weight loss drug.