Wegovy (Semaglutide) Weight Loss Injection

Wegovy™ has been made available to treat obesity in the UK from September 2023 and in the USA from 2021. Like the Saxenda weight loss pen it is an injection that can be used to suppress your appetite and therefore aid in your weight loss journey. The only difference between Saxenda and Wegovy™ is that Saxenda is once-daily dosing and Wegovy™ is a once-weekly dosing.

If you find that Wegovy is not suitable for your, our service can offer Saxenda or Orlistat.

Wegovy™ is a prescription-only weight loss injection. The active ingredient in Wegovy™ is semaglutide, this is the same drug that is in Ozempic. The difference between Ozempic and Wegovy™ is that Ozempic is only licensed for use in diabetics and it comes in a different strength compared to Wegovy™, which comes in a single strength of 2.4mg.

The Wegovy™ (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg is an injectable prescription medicine used for adults with obesity (BMI ≥30) or overweight (excess weight) (BMI ≥27) who also have weight-related medical problems (e.g high blood pressure, type-2-diabetes, high cholesterol) to help them lose weight and keep the weight off.

• Wegovy™ should only be used with a reduced calorie meal plan and regular exercise. Wegovy™ alone will not reduce your weight if taken alone without any other life style adjustments.
• Wegovy™ contains semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist and should NOT be used in conjunction with other GLP-1 agonists such as Saxenda or Ozempic.
• There is insufficient data regarding whether taking Wegovy™ in conjunction with other prescription, over-the-counter or herbal weight loss products is safe and/or effective.

Wegovy™ (semaglutide 2.4mg) is a self injectable weight loss treatment. It contains the active ingredient semaglutide which is very similar to a naturally occuring hormone in the human body called Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1), which belongs to a family of hormones in the body called incretins.

After a meal GLP-1 is naturally released from your intestines to help regulate your blood sugar levels and reduce the amount of glucagon in your body. Glucagon is a naturally occurring hormone that works by inhibiting the action of insulin. As a result, it makes you feel less hungry, slows down the emptying of your stomach and makes you feel 'fuller' for longer.

In summary, Wegovy™ 'tricks' your body into producing more GLP-1 and therefore sends signals to your brain that you are full and do not need to eat. 

Wegovy (semaglutide) should be administered once a week on the same day. It can be taken at any time of day and with or without food. Subcutaneous injections into the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm are recommended.

For a total of 16 weeks, the Wegovy dose is increased every four weeks. This means that patients begin with a 0.25mg once-weekly dose and gradually increase it until they reach the maintenance dose of 2.4 mg once-weekly on week 17. This slow rise is critical since it reduces the possibility of negative effects. If adverse effects do occur, the majority will occur during the dose-escalation phase before improving.

The Step 1 clinical trial for Wegovy™ conducted by Novo Nordisk saw 1,961 patiens with with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) or with overweight (BMI 27 kg/m2-29.9 kg/m2) and at least 1 weight-related comorbid condition, such as treated or untreated dyslipidemia or hypertension. Patients received Wegovy™ or placebo in addition to instruction for a reduced-calorie diet (approximately 500 kcal/day deficit) and increased physical activity counseling (recommended to a minimum of 150 min/week) throughout the trial.

The trial resulted in a satistically significant reduction in body weight when compared to the placebo after 68 weeks. The trial showed that there was an average reduction of 14.8% in body weight in patients taking Wegovy™ vs 2.8% reduction in body weight for those taking the placebo, the patients on the placebo only reduced their calorie intake and increased physical activity.

The results also indicated that after 68 weeks on Wegovy™, 83.5% of patients lost 5% or more of their body wieght. In the placebo group, 31.1% of patients lost 5% or more. Further clinical trials were also carried out, which showed statistically significant reductions in body weight.

Wegovy vs Placebo Clinical Trial Results

Saxenda® (liraglutide) injection 3 mg is an injectable prescription medicine that may help some adults with excess weight (BMI ≥27) who also have weight-related medical problems or obesity (BMI ≥30) lose weight and keep the weight off. Saxenda® should be used with a reduced-calorie meal plan and increased physical activity.

Both Wegovy™ and Saxenda® are GLP-1 receptor agonists, and are part of the same family of injectable hormone like drugs, however the main difference between the two is that Saxenda® is administered once DAILY, whereas Wegovy™ is administered once WEEKLY.

Orlistat 120mg capsules are an effective weight loss medication used to treat obesity and reduce overall weight gain.

Through clinical trials, Orlistat was proven to block around one-third of all fat consumed with meals. Working directly in the stomach, Orlistat can help to make weight loss more effective than with a healthy diet and increased exercise alone.

Orlistat is prescription only, the body needs to break down dietary fats into smaller pieces before absorbing them. Orlistat works by obstructing the enzymes that break down the fats in your diet, halting the absorption process.

The obvious difference between Wegovy™ and Orlistat is that you take Orlistat orally, whereas Wegovy™ is injected. Orlistat also needs to be taken up to three times a day (after each meal) to get the best out of it meaning it is nowhere near as convenient as Wegovy™, which is injected once weekly.

Wegovy™ may cause fetal harm. When pregnancy is recognized, discontinue Wegovy™. Discontinue Wegovy™ in patients at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy.

Our service offers other weight loss treatments. These include Orlistat and Saxenda which is the most similar medicine to Wegovy as it has a similar mechanism of action and is manufactured by Novo Nordisk. Unlike Wegovy, Saxenda is a once daily injection. 

Sources

• Wegovy 0.25 mg, FlexTouch solution for injection in pre-filled pen - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc). (n.d.). https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/13799/smpc#gref

• Semaglutide (Wegovy) for the Treatment of Obesity. (2023, January 1). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36689981/

• Singh, G., Krauthamer, M., & Bjalme-Evans, M. (2022, January 1). Wegovy (Semaglutide): A New Weight Loss Drug for Chronic Weight Management. Journal of Investigative Medicine; BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/jim-2021-001952

• glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist. (n.d.). Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5572286

• Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg Official Physician Site. (n.d.). novoMEDLINK. https://www.novomedlink.com/obesity/products/treatments/wegovy.html