At the same time, semaglutides also reduce the release of the hormone glucagon, which works opposite of insulin to increase blood sugar. In non-diabetics, these two hormones work together to maintain normal blood sugar levels. But since this mechanism is not functioning properly in diabetics, which leads to high blood sugar, semaglutides help to control blood sugar and also reduce appetite.

For this reason, Ozempic received approval from the FDA in 2017 as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. But during the clinical trials for type 2 diabetes, pharmaceutical companies quickly recognized Ozempic’s potential as a weight loss tool.

This led to the release of a new drug, Wegovy, which has a higher dose of semaglutide. A 2021 study showed that once-weekly injections of Wegovy over the course of 68 weeks resulted in about a 15% loss of body weight in adult participants with obesity.

The other novel medication in the news lately, Mounjaro, acts like a semaglutide, stimulating GLP-1, but it also mimics a second hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide. This dual-hormone action works to not only lower blood sugar levels and increase insulin sensitivity, but also slows the digestive system and decreases appetite.

In early 2021, scientists began analyzing the data from a clinical trial program focused on using semaglutide treatments in people with obesity, which included more than 4,000 patients. Over 80% of participants lost more than 5% of their body weight, with the most common side effects being nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation.

This data on effectiveness and efficacy led the FDA to officially approve Wegovy as a weight loss drug in the summer of 2021. The huge demand that ensued led to the recent shortages of Wegovy, forcing many physicians to look for other options. That’s when Ozempic and Mounjaro entered the picture as off-label weight loss medications, even though they are only FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes.

In April 2023, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly released the results of the second phase 3 clinical trial of Mounjaro. The results were, quite frankly, amazing: Compared to a placebo, the 938 obese or overweight adults with type 2 diabetes lost more than 34 pounds, or roughly 15% of their body weight, with no required fitness and nutrition program.

This most recent study tracked with the first clinical trial of Mounjaro, published in July 2022, that resulted in more than a 20% reduction in body weight in 2,539 adults. Similar to Wegovy and Ozempic, Mounjaro’s most commonly reported side effects are general gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The latest data from the National Institutes of Health estimates that more than 40% of U.S. adults are obese and another 30% are overweight, meaning that 7 in 10 adults need to lose weight. The World Health Organization estimates that, based on a 2017 global burden of disease study, more than 4 million people across the world are dying every year due to being overweight or obese, a trend that is also growing rapidly in children.

The WHO defines obesity as when an adult or child has a body mass index, or BMI, over 30; a BMI over 25 is considered overweight. In children, doctors often rely on percentiles, rather than an absolute number.

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