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After hitting the US market to rave evaluations earlier this 12 months, miracle-weight loss jab Wegovy is lastly accessible within the UK.
And its success was such that it noticed earnings soar for Danish agency Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical big behind the jab, which raked in a whopping £4.5billion for the primary half of this 12 months.
Novo Nordisk credited this rise – up by a 3rd, or £1.3billion, on the earlier spell – to the sky-high demand for its weekly semaglutide jabs. The demand has made Novo Europe’s most dear listed firm.
Wegovy, proven to assist sufferers cut back physique weight by round 15 per cent when used alongside train and way of life adjustments, is up to now accessible in the USA, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and as of Monday, the UK. Ozempic is one other widespread model of semaglutide jab.
UK-based Easy On-line Pharmacy right this moment revealed it had obtained inventory of the jab, however it’s not but recognized if the NHS has too.
Praised by celebrities together with Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson, semaglutide jabs are confirmed to assist obese sufferers lose as much as 21lbs in simply over a 12 months by suppressing their appetites. Docs are giving the drug to ‘extra sufferers than ever earlier than’, Novo Nordisk mentioned.
Semaglutide is bought as Wegovy for individuals who are obese or overweight
Celebrities together with Elon Musk, Jeremy Clarkson and Remi Bader have spoken out in regards to the ‘genuinely unbelievable’ Ozempic, which suppresses urge for food and leaves customers feeling fuller
Danish pharmaceutical titan Novo Nordisk raked in £4.5billion throughout the first half of 2023 — up by a 3rd, or £1.3billion , on the earlier spell
A Novo spokesperson mentioned deliveries of Wegovy to a UK wholesaler had begun, however declined to touch upon Easy On-line Pharmacy’s assertion that it had already obtained the drug.
Novo delivers its medicines to the wholesaler, which is then answerable for onward distribution, the spokesperson mentioned, declining to call the wholesaler concerned.
Nevertheless, the extreme demand the world over is inflicting large provide points.
Wegovy will solely be given to obese individuals, in contrast to Ozempic, a semaglutide jab by one other model title, which is licensed solely for diabetics.
Novo Nordisk mentioned when saying what it known as a ‘restricted and managed’ launch within the UK that Wegovy will likely be accessible on the NHS’ weight administration scheme and ‘privately by means of a registered healthcare skilled’.
Some medical doctors and medical specialists warned on Monday that Brits who can afford to pay out of their very own pocket might get simpler entry to Wegovy than these in search of remedy within the nation’s state-run well being service.
The NHS didn’t instantly reply to a question on Tuesday morning about whether or not it had obtained shares of Wegovy.
Novo Nordisk revealed additionally it is limiting provide within the US, as the corporate struggles to maintain up with demand.
Semaglutide works by hijacking the mind to suppress urge for food and cut back calorie consumption, leading to substantial weight reduction. It does this by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is launched after consuming.
It was nicknamed Hollywood’s worst saved secret, with followers together with Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson.
Even Kim Kardashian was rumoured to have used it to quickly lose 16lbs (7.3kg) to suit into Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Blissful Birthday Mr President’ gown on the 2022 Met Gala.
Novo Nordisk’s monetary report for the primary half of 2023 reveals it made a web revenue of 39.2billion Danish kroner (£4.5billion) up from 27.5billion kroner (£3.2billion) the earlier 12 months.
The corporate — Europe’s second most dear behind luxurious items agency LVMH — mentioned the development was ‘primarily pushed by’ a 49 per cent increase in gross sales for GLP-1 diabetes medicine.
Wegovy and Ozempic, which each comprise semaglutide, work by triggering the physique to provide a hormone known as glucagon-like peptide-1 that’s launched naturally from the intestines after meals
Jeremy Clarkson (left) revealed this month that he was taking Ozempic in a bid to shed pounds. When requested in October whether or not following a more healthy food plan or hitting the gymnasium was behind his 30lb (13.6kg) weight reduction, Elon Musk (proper) credited ‘fasting’ and ‘Wegovy’
In complete, gross sales for these medicine got here to 99billion kroner (£11.5billion).
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, president and chief government of Novo Nordisk, mentioned: ‘We’re more than happy with the gross sales progress within the first half of 2023.
‘The expansion is pushed by growing demand for our GLP-1-based diabetes and weight problems remedies, and we’re serving extra sufferers than ever earlier than.’
He added that weight problems is a ‘severe continual illness’ and weight-related situations ‘might be considerably diminished by treating individuals with semaglutide’.
It comes after a research this week of 17,600 individuals confirmed that obese or overweight adults who take Wegovy are a fifth much less prone to endure coronary heart assaults and strokes.
Trial outcomes present that 9 in ten Wegovy customers lose 5 per cent of their physique weight over the course of 68 weeks, whereas three in ten lose a fifth.
Members additionally slashed their calorie consumption and upped the quantity of train they had been doing.
Nevertheless, like all remedy, it has unwanted side effects.
Complications, vomiting and diarrhoea are among the many most typical. Some additionally endure from acid reflux disease, fatigue and complain that meals tastes completely different after utilizing the drug.
It’s this facet impact that some individuals credit score for additional helping their weight reduction — by making their favorite junk meals style unhealthy.
Different rarer unwanted side effects embrace gallstones, irritation of your pancreas — recognized medically as pancreatitis — and an elevated danger of low blood sugar and kidney issues.
The jab can be being investigated over fears it causes most cancers after research in mice and rats steered that semaglutide may increase the danger of medullary thyroid most cancers.
Trials have additionally proven that customers can quickly pile kilos again on as soon as they cease taking the fat-fighting drug.
In March, Wegovy was accepted by the UK’s medicines watchdog for as much as 4 million Brits who’ve one weight-related situation and a BMI of 30 or greater.
The drug has been accessible for weight administration within the US since 2021 however is but to launch within the UK on account of provide difficulties.
Regardless of being hailed as one of the crucial highly effective pharmaceutical instruments up to now, specialists have warned it’s not a ‘magic capsule’ or miracle repair all. Trials have proven that customers can quickly pile kilos again on as soon as they cease taking the drug and it could possibly set off a wide range of nasty unwanted side effects. Customers generally complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhoea
A UK research discovered that individuals who used Wegovy skilled speedy weight reduction, dropping 18% of their weight over 68 weeks. They regained two-thirds of that weight, or 12% of their unique physique weight within the 12 months after dropping the weekly injections
In the meantime, Ozempic is given to kind 2 diabetics to assist management their blood glucose ranges.
Nevertheless, as a result of it makes use of the identical ingredient, it could possibly assist weight reduction.
Well being officers issued an alert final month warning that it ‘strongly discouraged’ off-label prescribing for these in search of to shift the scales, because it may go away diabetes sufferers with out their very important remedy.
Amid difficulties maintaining with demand, Novo Nordisk confirmed it will proceed limiting Wegovy provides within the US to make sure there are sufficient doses for current sufferers.
Mr Jorgensen mentioned: ‘We have seen that the initiative we took earlier this 12 months, limiting the starter dose, has really helped handle these dynamics. So we need to prolong that within the coming quarters.’
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