There are hashtags on TikTok with millions of followers, countless columns on celebrity waistlines and a flood of media coverage when trial results are released. It’s rare for a new drug to receive so much attention. But it’s even rarer for a licensed drug to safely and quickly reduce weight with minimal effort.
A year ago, most people hadn’t heard of semaglutide, a drug developed about a decade ago to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Ozempic. In 2021, it was approved in the U.S. as a weight-loss aid under the name Wegovy. The drug can help people lose up to 15% of their body weight.
The impact of this new class of drugs could be unprecedented — potentially ending the world’s growing obesity epidemic. “I don’t think it’s fully been accepted yet,” he said. Jonathan Campbell Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina study how these drugs affect the body.
For one thing, Wegovy is just the beginning. Next-generation drugs are in the works that are cheaper, easier to use and even more effective. And new evidence suggests that Wegovy and its ilk work better when given at a younger age, so doctors are exploring their use in teens and young children. That raises the prospect of a shift from obesity treatment to prevention. “We’ve seen a dramatic shift in the obesity landscape over the past 40 years,” Campbell says. “Now, maybe we’re at a tipping point where the tide is turning.”
Why is obesity a growing problem?
Obesity has been increasing since the 1970s…
