WHAT IS Wegovy?

Meet Wegovy, the new once-weekly weightloss injection that research shows helps people lose significantly more body weight than those using diet and exercise alone.

Hailed as a revolutionary weight-loss treatment, it works by acting like an appetite-suppressing hormone and, since its release in the US in mid-2021, a huge social media buzz has seen demand for Wegovy skyrocket.

The thing to know though, is Wegovy isn't actually completely new. Its active ingredient is something called semaglutide, which is already used to lower blood sugar in people living with type 2 diabetes thanks to the way it helps to control how the pancreas works. For that purpose, it's sold under the name Ozempic.

Apart from having different approved uses, the main difference between Ozempic and Wegovy is dosage, with Wegovy containing a bigger dose of semaglutide per injection than even Ozempic's strongest dosage.

Same drug, same supply shortages