Community Chat

[Mindy D]

Findings from a large international trial were published in the NEJM today. From the study,  a drug, semiglutide, affects the body's appetite regulating system leading to a  lessening of hunger and appetite and increasing feelings of fullness.  75% of those subjects in the study that received the 2.4 mg of  drug lost more than 10% of their weight and over 1/3 lost more than 20% of their weight. There is no other drug that has produced this degree of weight loss. The average participant in the trial lost 42 pounds. 1,961 adults participated in the study. Study sites numbered129, in 16 countries. The study lasted for 68 weeks. Participants were either injected once weekly with a 2.4 mg dose of the drug or with a placebo. Dietitians met with participants by phone or in person every four weeks for counseling to help them stick to calorie controlled meals and provide guidance on increasing their physical activity.

The drug has previously been used in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

I write about this with a high degree of caution after having been given an RX for Phen Fen. A little bird inside my head told me not to take my prescription. I'm lucky I only took one pill. This combination drug caused devastating structural damage to the hearts of users and was removed from the market after many deaths. I'd also like to know what happens to patients when they quit taking the drug. 

New England Journal of Medicine quote and article

"The  mean change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was −14.9% in the semaglutide group as compared with −2.4% with placebo, for an estimated treatment difference of −12.4 percentage points."

httpd://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiozeqdp_TuAhVZG80KHRr2A4sQFjAAegQI...

study was funded by Novo Nordisk

Note that the word gamechanger was seen in the titles of multiple articles online and in  a comment made by one of the researchers, Professor Rachael Batterham. That's why I used it in my title. 

[MoonieBaby]

Yep - Semaglutide, is sold under the brand names Ozempic and Rybelsus, an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Bariatric docs won't prescribe it but endocrinologists will.

Phen Fen has been off the market since 1997. Heart valve damage caused the recall of Fenfluramine.  Phentermine is still used.

[Mindy D]

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@MoonieBaby wrote:

Yep - Semaglutide, is sold under the brand names Ozempic and Rybelsus, an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Bariatric docs won't prescribe it but endocrinologists will.

Phen Fen has been off the market since 1997. Heart valve damage caused the recall of Fenfluramine.  Phentermine is still used.

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@MoonieBaby I was asked to join the class action suit but did not do so. My sister passed away from other reasons, but she was using the drug when she passed away. She was a young, thin person to begin with. 

[Trinity11]

I am a Type 1 diabetic but know people who took this drug. Some had pancreatitis, one had thyroid cancer. I have heard anecdotal information of people getting keto acidosis. No weight loss drug is worth getting that sick.

[MoonieBaby]

Oh Mindy - I am so sorry for your loss, how terrible for your family.

I took the combo drug in 1996, and lost a ton of weight - I went from 135 to 115 in about 1.5-2 months, no side effects no heart issues and no lasting problems.

I was a lucky participant.

The drug peeled weight off my 5'5" frame without issue.

Truthfully the magic in a "magic pill" is this - eating less and expending more is the key to weight loss and maintaining it, is the effort that becomes lifelong.

I hope to lose this covid 19+ by following my own advice - be well and be good to yourself Mindy, we only have this life to live...lets make the most and best of it.

[Lali1]

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@Trinity11 wrote:

I am a Type 1 diabetic but know people who took this drug. Some had pancreatitis, one had thyroid cancer. I have heard anecdotal information of people getting keto acidosis. No weight loss drug is worth getting that sick.

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I'm Type 1 also. DKA is horrible. 

[on the bay]

This has been on the market since 2018. So "new" as drugs go but not new recently.

This recent study was funded by Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of 

semaglutide (ozempic). Studies done by the manufacturer of their drug were more likely to show safety, then from an outside study not affiliated with the sale of the drug.

I would also wonder how upfront they were with adverse affects.

My nurse daughter always tells me that she looks closely at where the clinical trails come from and who they were funded by.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your sister @Mindy D.

[Lipstickdiva]

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@on the bay wrote:

This has been on the market since 2018. So "new" as drugs go but not new recently.

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@on the bay , the OP said the study is new, not the drug.    

[Trinity11]

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@Lali1 wrote:

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@Trinity11 wrote:

I am a Type 1 diabetic but know people who took this drug. Some had pancreatitis, one had thyroid cancer. I have heard anecdotal information of people getting keto acidosis. No weight loss drug is worth getting that sick.

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I'm Type 1 also. DKA is horrible. 

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True @Lali1 . I had it twice in fifty years. My anion gap was 31 and was hospitalized for a week. My insulin pump stopped working one night and I woke up with DKA.  

[furbabylover]

@Mindy D  I, too, took Phen Fen back in the 90's- thank God I only took it for 2 months! It made me feel so weak and my heart was pounding like crazy. Horrible stuff!! I did sustain some valve damage. That (and a lot of other reasons) is why I will NOT take Big Pharma stuff unless I have no other option. They say that the biggest killer of Americans each year is death from "medical accidents", and that includes non-addictive prescription drugs. It is now coming to light that these so-called "clinical trials" on drugs are usually funded by the manufacturer of the drug being tested, and a lot of deliberate manipulation of the data is done, always in favor of the efficacy and safety of the drug. It seems like the world is waking up to the "misinformation" we get from a lot of these mega-corporations today.