Ozempic (semaglutide) is a weekly injectable medicine for adults to improve blood sugar and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with Type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, and results in weight loss. It is made by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company. It belongs to the class of medicines called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, vomiting, sulfur burps, and hair loss. Serious side effects can be thyroid tumors, including cancer, pancreatitis, changes in vision, hypoglycemia, serious allergic reactions, gallbladder problems, and jaundice.
It is unknown if Ozempic will harm an unborn baby or passes into breast milk. Ozempic must be stopped two months before pregnancy. Ozempic is not for use in people with Type 1 diabetes. It is unknown if Ozempic is safe and effective for use in children under 18 years of age.
Online pharmacies, medical spas and diet clinics run thousands of weight-loss ads on social media for Ozempic. When a drug takes over the internet, it takes over the world. There are more than 4,000 ads for Ozempic-style drugs running on Instagram and Face-book. The ads are everywhere: on television, at signs near public transit, on the walls of air-ports, and most surfaces devoted to marketing.
According to the FDA, there are no approved generic versions of semaglutide. Accordingly, there are counterfeit drugs. See https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Sve2k8TYrOY&t=296s. The cost for Ozempic subcutaneous solution (2 mg/1.5 mL (0.25 mg or 0.5 mg dose)) is around $995 for a supply of 1.5 milliliters. There are coupons: some for $25 a month for 24 months by the Novo Nordisk. Kroger has one for $250 off, and there are fake coupons.
Ozempic is intended for long-term use. After some significant weight loss occurs in about two years, financial assistance will be exhausted, regular insurance won’t cover it due to its cost, and then what? Most will have to stop taking it, weight will rebound. Folks risked serious health problems only to return to where they started.
If there was a magic bullet for weight loss, it would be diet and exercise-related. Let’s get back to work. Losing weight takes time and lifestyle changes. It’s not impossible, just slow. As always, see your doctor for the best advice.
Kathy Powers is a lifetime Chicagoan. At 50, Kathy speaks out as the voice of the people. She became a revolutionary activist whose lifelong fight raises unheard voices. She is the Health Care Desk on the People’s Tribune Editorial Board.
