
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Novo Nordisk’s weight loss injection semaglutide — the ingredient inside its wildly popular drugs Ozempic and Wegovy — could slash the risk of heart attacks and strokes whether patients lose weight when taking it or not, according to new research, a finding that bolsters the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/04/18/weight-loss-and-diabetes-drugs-like-ozempic-and-mounjaro-could-treat-sleep-apnea-and-parkinsons-too-here-are-other-conditions-scientists-are-looking-at/?sh=62e373b67f76">public health case</a>&nbsp;for the in-demand drug amid increasing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/05/13/bernie-sanders-urges-ozempic-maker-novo-nordisk-to-be-fair-over-outrageously-expensive-us-drug-prices/?sh=2d9c1973404c">concern over costs</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/04/30/wegovy-is-available-again-after-shortages-fda-says-but-supplies-are-still-limited/?sh=4773390761b4">persistent supply issues</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Patients taking semaglutide had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or death due to cardiovascular disease after three years of treatment, according to an analysis of data from the five-year Select trial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-02996-7" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">presented</a>&nbsp;at the European Congress on Obesity conference in Venice, Italy.</p>



<p>Select, which is funded by Novo, involves 17,604 overweight or obese adults over the age of 45 from 41 countries, all of whom have previously had a heart attack, stroke or peripheral artery disease but no diabetes, is the longest clinical trial of Wegovy.</p>



<p>While the cardiovascular benefits of Wegovy are now well recognized, including on the drug’s U.S. label, researchers found patients taking semaglutide received the drug’s cardiovascular benefits of the drug regardless of their starting weight or how much weight they lost when taking it.</p>



<p>University College London’s professor John Deanfield, who led the study, said the “findings have important clinical implications” and suggests semaglutide has another mechanism to lower cardiovascular risk other than reducing unhealthy body fat, adding that many more patients than are taking it now would likely benefit from the drug.</p>



<p>Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307563" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;based on Select data, also presented at the conference, found patients taking semaglutide were able to maintain weight loss after four years of treatment, which researchers said held across different ages, sexes and races.</p>



<p>Patients taking the drug for four years lost and sustained an average of 10% of their bodyweight while remaining on the medicine, the researchers found, compared to just 1.5% in the placebo group.</p>



<p><em>Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you&#8217;ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up&nbsp;</em><a href="https://joinsubtext.com/forbes" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Novo’s semaglutide, alongside Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, the drug inside blockbusters Zepbound and Mounjaro, are at the forefront of a promising<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/03/13/ozempic-and-wegovy-rivals-here-are-the-companies-working-on-competitor-weight-loss-drugs/?sh=11ef23101f52"> class of drugs</a> called GLP-1 agonists causing a huge stir in public health and the pharmaceutical industry. The drugs mimic the action of a gut hormone that plays a role in regulating satiety and blood sugar. They were initially tapped to treat diabetes — such as Mounjaro and Ozempic — before being deployed to treat obesity and, more recently, cardiovascular disease. A <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/04/18/weight-loss-and-diabetes-drugs-like-ozempic-and-mounjaro-could-treat-sleep-apnea-and-parkinsons-too-here-are-other-conditions-scientists-are-looking-at/?sh=3724094f7f76">myriad of other conditions</a> could also benefit, according to growing reports and emerging research, including <a href="https://www.forbes.com/health/body/what-is-sleep-apnea/">sleep apnea</a>, addiction, anxiety, Parkinson’s, kidney disease and fatty liver disease. Obesity is an enduring public health issue in its own right and the weight loss industry is booming even without the health aspect, meaning demand for the drugs is often beyond supply. Both Novo and Lilly readily acknowledge they are unable to keep up and while a range of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/03/13/ozempic-and-wegovy-rivals-here-are-the-companies-working-on-competitor-weight-loss-drugs/?sh=73033ce21f52">competitors</a> from startups to pharma titans are rushing to get their own products to market, it is still <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/03/27/heres-why-ozempic-and-mounjaro-rivals-wont-topple-weight-loss-drugmakers-novo-nordisk-and-eli-lilly-anytime-soon/?sh=10a3819b2b38">going to be years</a> until these products make it and there is no guarantee they will equal or trump the incumbents.</p>


Weight Loss Drugs As US Prescriptions Skyrocket

Ozempic Drug Semaglutide Could Cut Heart Risk By 20%—Regardless Of Weight Loss, Study Finds


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk on Thursday teased a potential successor to its blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy, the latest in a line of next-generation obesity treatments in development as consumers flock to the powerful drugs and competitors including Eli Lilly, Pfizer and an array of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/02/28/viking-weight-loss-drug-targets-ozempic-and-mounjaro-makers-supremacy---what-to-know/?sh=15da62cf2e43">startups</a> close in to claim a share of the lucrative market.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>At an investor event on Thursday, Novo Nordisk&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/03/07/novo-nordisks-new-obesity-pill-beats-wegovy-in-early-trial/?sh=20baa926456e">shared</a>&nbsp;data from an early stage clinical trial of an experimental weight loss drug called amycretin, an oral treatment that trial results suggest could be more powerful than the company’s popular weight loss drug Wegovy.</p>



<p>The pill, taken once a day, helped patients in the trial drop 13% of their weight over 12 weeks, a more impressive&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2796491" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">rate</a>&nbsp;than Wegovy, where patients lost around 6% at 12 weeks.</p>



<p>Amycretin effectively combines the functionality of two different drugs into a single molecule that targets two hormones involved in regulating hunger and blood sugar levels: GLP-1 and amylin.</p>



<p>GLP-1 is the same hormone targeted by semaglutide and tirzepatide—generic names for Novo and Lilly’s diabetes and obesity blockbusters Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound—and companies including Novo and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/zealand-pharma-presents-data-for-amylin-analog-zp8396-at-obesityweek/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Zealand Pharma</a>&nbsp;view amylin as a one potential target to build next generation of weight loss drugs around.</p>



<p>Novo is also testing a subcutaneous form of amycretin delivered through regular injections like Wegovy and Zepbound, though the early stage trial is ongoing and data is not expected to be released until around 2025.</p>



<p>Novo’s head of development Martin Lange Holst said the promising trial results justify further research into the pill and that a larger Phase 2 trial would begin in the second half of the year.</p>



<p><strong>When will amycretin be available?</strong></p>



<p>It will still be many years before Novo’s amycretin hits pharmacy shelves. Data from the mid-stage trial will not be available until around 2026, at the earliest, and regulators are likely to want an even more comprehensive trial to assess efficacy and safety to authorize it. It’s possible later trials won’t replicate the promising results from the early stage trial—the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd.2016.136" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">majority</a>&nbsp;of drugs fail during clinical testing—or Novo may choose to focus its attention elsewhere. Data from the injectable amycretin is likely to have an impact on Novo’s future development pathway for the drug. Side effects and safety will also need to be monitored in a larger cohort of people to see whether the drug makes a viable treatment. Novo said the safety and side effect profile is in line with its other GLP-1 drugs, which can include a variety of gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea.</p>



<p><strong>News Peg</strong></p>



<p>Novo’s stock hit a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/03/07/novo-nordisks-new-obesity-pill-beats-wegovy-in-early-trial/?sh=20baa926456e">new high</a>&nbsp;after the company revealed some of its future plans on Thursday, gaining 9% and sending its market capitalization soaring to almost $610 billion. The company, which dethroned Bernard Arnault’s LVMH as Europe’s largest last year, is now more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2024/03/07/ozempic-maker-novo-nordisk-more-valuable-than-tesla/?sh=27a8c60133f9">valuable</a>&nbsp;than Elon Musk’s Tesla.</p>



<p><strong>Big Number</strong></p>



<p>$100 billion. That’s how much some analysts <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-17/lilly-lly-and-novo-novob-seen-dominating-100-billion-obesity-market-in-2030" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">believe</a> the obesity drug market will be worth by the end of the decade. Some think the market is <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/28/obesity-drugs-to-be-worth-200-billion-in-next-10-years-barclays-says.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potentially</a> worth much more. Novo, alongside Eli Lilly, dominate the market and are likely to continue doing so for some time.<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/"></a></p>


Ozempic Manufacturer Sued Over Side Effects Of Medication Used For Weight Loss

Ozempic Maker’s New Weight Loss Pill Beats Wegovy In Early Trial — What To Know About Novo Nordisk’s Amycretin


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Ozempic and Mounjaro manufacturers are being sued over claims that the drugs cause gastroparesis, a severe stomach disorder, but some experts believe this assertion is inaccurate because the drugs only cause a temporary delay in stomach emptying.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Earlier this month, a personal injury law firm filed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forthepeople.com/sites/default/files/2023-08/Morgan%20%26%20Morgan%20Ozempic%20Bjorklund%20complaint%208.2.23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Novo Nordisk—the makers of Ozempic—and Eli Lilly, the makers of Mounjaro, claiming the drugs cause gastroparesis.</p>



<p>The lawsuit also alleges the manufacturers knew of the link between the GLP-1 drugs and “the risk of developing severe gastrointestinal issues, including gastroparesis.”</p>



<p><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gastroparesis/symptoms-causes/syc-20355787" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gastroparesis</a>, or stomach paralysis, slows or completely stops the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine, preventing the stomach from properly emptying—neither drug lists gastroparesis as a potential side effect.</p>



<p>Semaglutide (the generic name for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2022/12/26/what-to-know-about-ozempic/?sh=2336a35a5adb">Ozempic</a>) and tirzepatide (the generic name for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/01/31/diabetes-drug-mounjaro-expected-to-be-approved-for-weight-loss-soon-what-to-know-and-how-it-compares-to-similar-drugs/?sh=68aef4ef477a">Mounjaro</a>) are a type of drug known as a GLP-1, and they work by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/news/semaglutide-weight-loss-what-you-need-know" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interacting</a>&nbsp;with the hunger part of the brain and suppressing the appetite, causing patients to feel full quicker.</p>



<p>In July, CNN released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/health/weight-loss-diabetes-drugs-gastroparesis/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>&nbsp;about patients who’ve been diagnosed with severe gastroparesis, and their doctors believe weight loss drug Wegovy (manufactured by Novo Nordisk) and its sister diabetes drug Ozempic may be to blame.</p>



<p>The patients noticed they were vomiting days-old food and doctors noted it was common for people on Ozempic to have stomachs full of food when doing an endoscopy—one patient even had to have a stomach bypass surgery to help relieve the gastroparesis.</p>



<p>The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) put out a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2023/06/patients-taking-popular-medications-for-diabetes-and-weight-loss-should-stop-before-elective-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warning</a>&nbsp;in June asking patients to stop taking GLP-1 drugs at least a week before elective surgeries due to an increased risk of the drugs causing vomiting during operation.</p>



<p>The ASA has received reports that an “increased risk of regurgitation and aspiration of food into the airways and lungs during general anesthesia and deep sedation” was potentially being caused by the drugs’ ability to “delay” stomach emptying.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4134614-ozempic-mounjaro-sued-stomach-paralysis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;The Hill “patient safety is of utmost importance” to the company and they continuously monitor “the safety profile of our products and collaborate closely with authorities to ensure patient safety, including adequate information on gastrointestinal side effects in the label.” In a similar statement, a spokesperson for Eli Lilly told The Hill patient safety is “top priority,” and it “actively [engages] in monitoring, evaluating and reporting safety information” for their medications.&nbsp;<em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>has reached out to both companies for comment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Gastroparesis, also called delayed stomach emptying, affects the movement of food even though there isn’t a blockage in the small intestine or stomach,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/gastroparesis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. It typically takes about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058340#:~:text=After%20you%20eat%2C%20it%20takes,move%20through%20the%20entire%20colon." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">six to eight hours</a>&nbsp;for food to pass from the stomach to the small intestine, though the amount and type of food consumed can affect this. With gastroparesis, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318753#stomach-emptying" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digestion process</a>&nbsp;is extended, and specific times differ from person to person.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/gastroparesis/symptoms-causes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Symptoms</a>&nbsp;include too much bloating, feeling full after starting a meal, feeling full long after finishing a meal, vomiting, heartburn, pain in the upper abdomen, poor appetite and too much burping. Gastroparesis has many causes, including diabetes, which is the most common cause of gastroparesis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-digestion.html#:~:text=Nausea%2C%20heartburn%2C%20or%20bloating%20can,common%20known%20cause%20of%20gastroparesis." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>. Though both Ozempic and Mounjaro are used off-label for weight loss, they are only approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in treating Type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar can lead to gastroparesis. Besides suppressing the appetite, another result of Ozempic’s ability to slow down the digestion process is the lowering of blood sugar,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ozempic.com/why-ozempic/how-ozempic-works.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to Novo Nordisk.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h2>



<p>Steven Batash, founder of Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss and an expert on nonsurgical weight loss procedures, told&nbsp;<em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>that “to say [Ozempic] causes gastroparesis is not really an accurate statement.” This is because gastroparesis is the “end product” when no food or almost no food moves in the digestive tract. Instead, Batash believes Ozempic causes a delay in gastric emptying. However, this delay only lasts for a short period of time and once the medication’s effects wear off, patients’ “motility will return to [their] baselines,” according to Batash. Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs are known to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ozempic.com/faqs.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cause</a>&nbsp;gastrointestinal issues, like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Side effects of Ozempic will be present but will be “mild” in most patients. If these effects are too extreme, Batash recommends either lowering the dosage or stopping usage altogether.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28958851/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;published in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology</em></a><em>&nbsp;</em>examined how liraglutide—another GLP-1 drug—affected digestion. Participants took either liraglutide or a placebo for five weeks and then ate a meal with a radioactive tracer so researchers could see how long the food stayed in their stomachs. It took those taking liraglutide 70 minutes for half their food to leave their stomachs compared to four minutes in the control group, a drastic slow in digestion. In some participants taking liraglutide, it took up to two hours and 30 minutes for half the meal to leave their stomachs. However, this group did see weight loss, and there was a correlation between a bigger delay in stomach emptying and the more weight participants lost.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2022/12/26/what-to-know-about-ozempic/?sh=13edf6c65adb">What To Know About Ozempic: The Diabetes Drug Becomes A Viral Weight Loss Hit (Elon Musk Boasts Using It) Creating A Shortage</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/08/07/what-is-berberine-supplement-dubbed-natures-ozempic-for-possible-weight-loss-benefits-but-evidence-is-limited/?sh=154e8d5a1068">What Is Berberine? Supplement Dubbed ‘Nature’s Ozempic’ For Possible Weight Loss Benefits—But Evidence Is Limited.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/01/31/diabetes-drug-mounjaro-expected-to-be-approved-for-weight-loss-soon-what-to-know-and-how-it-compares-to-similar-drugs/?sh=68aef4ef477a">Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Expected To Be Approved For Weight Loss Soon: What To Know And How It Compares To Similar Drugs</a> (Forbes)</p>


Tag: Ozempic

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Ozempic Drug Semaglutide Could Cut Heart Risk By 20%—Regardless Of Weight Loss, Study Finds

Ozempic Maker’s New Weight Loss Pill Beats Wegovy In Early Trial — What To Know About Novo Nordisk’s Amycretin

What To Know About Gastroparesis: Lawsuit Claims Ozempic And Mounjaro Causes The Severe Stomach Disorder