Scratching the surface of weight loss 'wonder drugs'

While semaglutides are being used to treat diabetes, trials and studies are indicating to doctors that depression and cancer may be in the drug's line of fire.

- Flic Everett

By now we’re all aware of how effective the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are for weight loss. Whether it is an A-lister, an influencer or just someone in our inner circle, hardly a day goes by without some kind of chatter around someone who has suddenly dropped three stone and whether they are “on the pen” (shorthand for the weekly injections of the drugs).

While the drugs were originally created to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, what’s less well known and currently being investigated, is the drugs’ potential impact on a whole raft of serious health conditions, including dementia, depression heart attacks, stroke, liver failure, polycystic ovary syndrome, Alzheimer’s and even addiction.

Already, the drugs’ maker, Danish pharma company Novo Nordisk, is undertaking trials with dementia patients, with full results expected in 2025.

A study from Oxford University recently published in The Lancet this month examined more than 100 million US patient records and found that those prescribed Ozempic had lower rates of cognitive decline and also, experienced lower nicotine cravings – although all patients in the study had diabetes and researchers warn that further trials are needed.

Early signs, however, are hugely encouraging, mostly down to the fact that semaglutide, the drug that Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for, works, by activating the GLP-1 receptors in the brain. And these GLP-1 receptors have been found to calm bodily inflammation – a key factor in triggering or exacerbating serious disease.

When the drug is injected, insulin is released into the body, our blood sugar level is lowered, and “fullness” hormones are triggered, which is how it controls appetite. But it seems semaglutide does a few other things as well.