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☆ Blockbuster weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic are being tested to treat addiction and dementia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Weight loss drugs are being assessed for their ability to treat conditions like dementia and addiction after a landmark study showed that Wegovy helped reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Late-stage trial data released last month by Novo Nordisk indicated that its Wegovy weight loss injection led to "large reductions" in heart failure-related symptoms among at-risk patients. A treatment for drug and alcohol abuseHendershot is one researcher investigating whether the appetite-regulating mechanisms at play in weight loss drugs could be used to treat other conditions such as alcohol and drug addiction. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly 's Mounjaro work by imitating a naturally occurring gut hormone that helps regulate appetite in the brain, ultimately leading to weight loss. Implications for reward signalingAdditional possible use cases for weight loss drugs could exacerbate the hurdles already faced by patients using them, however: high costs and supply shortages.

Persons: Wegovy, —, Hendershot, Nordisk's Wegovy, Eli Lilly, Kyle Simmons, Simmons, Ivan Koychev, Harshal Deshmukh Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Novo Nordisk, University of North, Chapel Hill, CNBC, Nordisk's, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma State University, University of Baltimore, University of Oxford, University of Hull Locations: Danish, University of North Carolina, Chapel

CNN —In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, a Louisiana woman is claiming she has suffered severe injuries due to her use of Ozempic and Mounjaro, which were prescribed by her doctor. Attorneys for Jaclyn Bjorklund claim that the 44-year-old woman used Ozempic for more than a year until around July 2023 and then began using Mounjaro. She is suing the makers of both drugs, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, for failing to warn of the risk of severe gastrointestinal events that could be caused by taking the medications. “As a result of using Defendants’ Ozempic and Mounjaro, Plaintiff was caused to suffer from severe gastrointestinal events, and as a result sustained severe and permanent personal injuries, pain, suffering, and emotional distress, and incurred medical expenses,” the lawsuit alleges. CNN has reached out to both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for comment on the lawsuit.

Persons: Jaclyn Bjorklund, Eli Lilly, ’ Ozempic, Mounjaro, Plaintiff, Bjorklund, “, Novo’s, Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro Organizations: CNN, Novo Nordisk, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: Louisiana

☆ Exclusive: UK probes Novo's Ozempic, weight-loss drug Saxenda over suicidal, self-harming thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saxenda is Novo's older GLP-1 drug and has lower effectiveness than its newer obesity treatment Wegovy, which contains semaglutide. Novo told Reuters it had received a request on Monday from the MHRA about the agency's review of potential suicidal and self-harming thoughts related to GLP-1 drugs. The MHRA said AstraZeneca's GLP-1 drug for type 2 diabetes, called exenatide and marketed as Bydureon, was also included in the review. The MHRA said that two other GLP-1 drugs, Sanofi's (SASY.PA) lixisenatide and Eli Lilly's (LLY.N) dulaglutide, were also included. It is also investigating GLP-1 drugs for possible risk of thyroid cancer.

Persons: Novo, AstraZeneca's GLP, lixisenatide, Eli Lilly's, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, liraglutide, Alison Cave, Novo's, MHRA, Ozempic, GLP, Maggie Fick, Josephine Mason, Mark Potter, Jane Merriman Organizations: Novo Nordisk, European Union, The Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Reuters, AstraZeneca, European Medicines Agency, Thomson Locations: Britain, Europe, United States

☆ They took blockbuster drugs for weight loss and diabetes. Now their stomachs are paralyzed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

Emily Wright, 38, a teacher in Toronto, started taking Ozempic in 2018. The diabetes drug Ozempic, and its sister drug for weight loss, Wegovy, utilize the same medication, semaglutide. Gastroparesis can have many causes, including diabetes, which is a reason many people are on these drugs in the first place. In more than half of cases of gastroparesis, doctors are unable to find a cause. Until more is known, George said, people need to be open with all their doctors about taking any drugs.

Persons: Joanie Knight, “, I’d, ”, Knight, ” Brenda Allen, I’m, ” Allen, Emily Wright, she’s, Wright, “ I’ve, ” Wright, Ozempic, Emily Wright Allen doesn’t, they’ve, Gastroparesis, Michael Camilleri, Camilleri, liraglutide, ” Camilleri, ’ Joanie Knight, it’s, —, I’ve, let’s, ’ ” Wright, gastroparesis, ” Knight, we’re, there’s, gastroparesis weren’t, “ Gastroparesis, Linda Nguyen, Nguyen, Renuka George, George, ” George, Dr, Michael Champeau, ” Champeau, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Novo Nordisk, Mayo Clinic, National Institutes of Health, Diabetes, ”, FDA, Stanford University, American Gastroenterological Association, Medical University of South, CNN Health, Stanford Locations: Angie , Louisiana, Dallas, Toronto, Medical University of South Carolina, Louisiana

☆ EU expands Wegovy, Ozempic probe over suicide risks to include other weight loss, diabetes drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter on April 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. But it could potentially include Eli Lilly 's diabetes drug Mounjaro, which is approved in the EU. Liraglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Saxenda. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the Danish company's weight loss injection, Wegovy, and its diabetes counterpart, Ozempic. They mimic a hormone produced in the gut called GLP-1 to suppress a person's appetite and ultimately aid with weight loss.

Persons: Eli Lilly, It's, Liraglutide, Semaglutide, ideation Organizations: Novo Nordisk, European Medicines Agency, Pfizer, EMA, CNBC, Icelandic Medicines Agency, Novo Nordisk's Saxenda, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Los Angeles , California, Danish, Wegovy's, U.S

☆ Exclusive: Most patients using weight-loss drugs like Wegovy stop within a year, data show
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Chad Terhune | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The annual cost of overall care for patients prior to taking Wegovy or a similar drug was $12,371, on average, according to the analysis. The costs for a similar control group of patients not taking the drugs decreased by 4% over the same period. The analysis by Prime Therapeutics, a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), reviewed pharmacy and medical claims data for 4,255 people with commercial health plans. For the analysis, Prime Therapeutics excluded patients with type 2 diabetes to focus on obesity treatment. In trials with adults, Novo found that 6.8% of patients taking Wegovy discontinued treatment due to gastrointestinal problems and other adverse events.

Persons: Wegovy, Khrysta Baig, Patrick Gleason, Novo, aren't, Gleason, David Lassen, Lassen, Chad Terhune, Michele Gershberg, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Vanderbilt University, Novo Nordisk, Prime Therapeutics, Therapeutics, U.S, Blue, Thomson Locations: Danish

☆ European drugs regulator to review Wegovy, Ozempic following reports of suicidal thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The European Medicines Agency said Monday it would undertake a review into a number of drugs used to treat obesity and diabetes after it was reported some patients experienced thoughts of suicide or self-harm. "The review is being carried out in the context of a signal procedure raised by the Icelandic Medicines Agency following three case reports," the EMA said. The EMA said the case reports "included 2 cases of suicidal thoughts, one following the use of Saxenda and one after Ozempic. "The semaglutide-containing medicine Wegovy and the liraglutide-containing medicine Saxenda are authorised for weight loss, together with diet and physical activity," the EMA said. "Suicidal behaviour is not currently listed as a side effect in the EU product information of these medicines," the EMA said.

Organizations: Novo Nordisk, European Medicines Agency, Icelandic Medicines Agency, Saxenda Locations: Danish

☆ EU probes Novo Nordisk drugs after reports of suicidal thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Suicidal thoughts are not currently listed as a side effect in the EU product information of these treatments. Side effects have hobbled several previous attempts by the drug industry to develop lucrative weight-loss drugs. Sanofi's (SASY.PA) Acomplia, which never won a U.S. approval, was withdrawn in Europe in 2008 after being linked to suicidal thoughts. New weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, however, regulate appetite by mimicking a gut hormone, and not directly interfere with brain chemistry. Safety data did not show any "causal association" between the suicidal or self-harming thoughts and the drugs, it added.

Persons: Acomplia, Bhanvi, Ludwig Burger, Savio D'Souza, Nivedita Organizations: European Medicines Agency, EMA, Icelandic Medicines Agency, Novo Nordisk, Thomson Locations: Danish, United States, Europe, Novo, Bengaluru, Frankfurt

☆ Why buzzy weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy cost so much more in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trendy weight-loss drugs cost much more in the US than in other countries. The price of semaglutide, the drug sold as Wegovy, was three times higher in the US than in the UK. If you're searching for affordable weight-loss drugs, you may be better off looking outside of the US. New weight-loss drugs are unaffordableGetty ImagesWegovy and Ozempic are part of a class of weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 agonists that have soared in popularity in recent months. Drug prices are highest in the USThe variation in prices for weight-loss drugs across the world is striking.

REUTERS/Daniel BecerrilLONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - Drugs that combat obesity could for the first time be included on the World Health Organization's "essential medicines list," used to guide government purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries, the U.N. agency told Reuters. A panel of advisers to the WHO will review new requests for drugs to be included next month, with an updated essential medicines list due in September. The request to consider obesity drugs was submitted by three doctors and a researcher in the United States. The majority – 70% - live in low- and middle-income countries. EXPANDING ACCESSIncluding obesity drugs among the WHO's essential medicines could have great significance for that population.

☆ Noom quietly started writing prescriptions for trendy new weight-loss drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The popular weight-loss app Noom quietly launched a new program that offers some users access to prescription anti-obesity medications. Called Noom Clinical, the program is meant to "build additional support" for app users, a company spokesperson said in a statement to Insider. Startups like Noom want to capitalize on a surge in demand for new weight-loss drugsSaeju Jeong, Co-founder & CEO, Noom Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images)Noom's foray into prescribing medication comes as demand for weight-loss drugs surges. NoomNoom, which introduced its weight loss app in 2017, is backed by venture firm Oak HC/FT and private-equity giant Silver Lake. According to the spokesperson, Noom began rolling out the new prescription-drug program to a small number of users in the fall.

☆ Workers are clamoring for pricey new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. Companies are grappling with how to respond.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Companies that pay for workers' health insurance are grappling with how to cover the pricey drugs. Medicare, the federal program that provides health coverage for people 65 and older, doesn't cover weight-loss drugs. ArcBest already has a program to help workers lose weight through behavior changes and nutrition. Krutsch said he wants to build on that, covering the weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Saxenda for employees who aren't able to lose weight without medication. The new weight-loss drugs were in short supply in 2022, and that gave employers time to figure out how to handle them, he said.

☆ U.S. experts recommend weight-loss drugs for obese children
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Metformin has been used off label to achieve weight loss in children. Of the 27 randomized trials of metformin for weight loss in children reviewed by the guidelines panel, 74% showed some positive effect of the medication. Wegovy last month won U.S. approval for chronic weight management in children ages 12 and older. For children ages 2 to 12 years, AAP said there was not currently enough evidence to recommend use of these medications. They also include recommendations for diagnosing obesity annually in children ages 6 years and older, through checks on BMI, and practices such as motivational interviewing.

☆ New obesity drugs win support of doctors and insurers, which could lift these pharma names even higher
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

They are also increasingly being prescribed by doctors and covered by insurers – a win for patients and for investors. According to Novo Nordisk , the maker of weight-loss drug Wegovy, about 80% of anti-obesity medications are being covered by health insurers, Meacham said. Novo's semaglutide is branded Wegovy as a weight-loss treatment and Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. When combined with lifestyle modifications, patients taking Wegovy can sustain a 15% weight loss , according to late-stage clinical trial data. Eli Lilly has a competing drug, Mounjaro, that uses both GLP-1 and a second incretin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP.

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