Rival company Eli Lilly has released a similar drug called Mounjaro; now it and Novo Nordisk are the biggest pharma companies in the world.
In Australia, only diabetes patients can access Ozempic until the end of the year. Wegovy is not available here yet.Nearly half of people taking it get nausea. About a quarter experience diarrhoea, vomiting and/or constipation.Amy Schumer has talked publicly about her experience with Ozempic, saying she had to stop taking it for weight loss because of the debilitating side effects.
And a study found that a year after going off the drug, people regain on average two thirds of the weight they lost.Research is being undertaken into the effect of semaglutide on other addictive behaviours, like smoking. And when Danish scientists were trying to cure diabetes, they stumbled upon a weight-loss drug, but that may not be all it can do.In addition to losing weight, they say they've lost their addiction to smoking, drinking, shopping and nail biting.