The keyword
“I started Ozempic six weeks ago,” says an American tiktoker in a video viewed nearly 100,000 times. In leggings and a sports bra, the young woman, visibly much thinner than in her “before” photos, continues: “I didn’t do any exercise, I just injected the product! »
Product prescribed for certain people with diabetes
Ozempic, miracle cure? This injectable product is prescribed in “the treatment of insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes” in adults, specifies the Novo Nordisk laboratory, which has marketed it in France since 2019.
Semaglutide, its active ingredient, acts by binding to the receptors of a hormone which has a role in the control of blood sugar and stimulates the release of insulin when the level of glucose in the blood is high. It also slows the emptying of the stomach, thereby reducing appetite and causing significant weight loss, of the order of 10% in one year.
A property that has enabled the manufacturer to obtain the marketing of semaglutide in many countries, including the United States, at a higher dose and under another name, Wegovy, for the treatment of obesity. In France, Wegovy received a favorable opinion from the High Authority for Health (HAS) in the treatment of obesity at the end of December. It is currently limited to very obese people with an associated disease.
Pending a decision from the authorities on its price and reimbursement, Wegovy is dispensed in dribs and drabs, “unlike Ozempic, which is available with a normal prescription”, notes Professor Jean-Luc Faillie, of the University of Montpelier. Result: “Pharmacists found prescriptions” for Ozempic for people without diabetes as well as “false prescriptions, used by several people”.
“Enhanced Surveillance”
On Wednesday, the National Medicines Agency (ANSM) and Medicare announced that Ozempic would be subject to “reinforced surveillance” in France, explaining that “field feedback indicates a misuse”. Diversions “limited” to 1% according to these authorities, who are however concerned about the impact on the availability of the product for diabetics. Novo Nordisk admits that its “current supply capacity does not always meet excess demand” and laments “intermittent availability and periodic stock-outs”.
Jean-François Thébaut, from the Diabetic Federation, is worried about a possible French “rush” on Wegovy when it becomes more widely available on the national market, especially since semaglutide is “extremely effective” against diabetes. Obesity specialist Karine Clément, from Inserm, insists on the need, then, to “frame your prescription well”: “It is not a “magic” drug. As always in obesity, it must be accompanied by comprehensive care. »
In its press release on Wednesday, the ANSM also warns: Ozempic can “lead to potentially serious adverse effects, such as gastrointestinal disorders, pancreatitis or hypoglycaemia”. Side effects “under-reported” according to Mr. Faillie, in charge of its pharmacovigilance. “It’s the ‘outside the box’ problem: neither patients nor prescribers are motivated to report” possible side effects. In addition to nausea, “there are also rarer but more serious risks such as acute pancreatitis, which can occur even at low doses, biliary disorders, rare cases of severe constipation which can lead to intestinal obstruction”, notes- he, also pointing to an “increased risk of thyroid cancer” after several years of treatment.
Are we risking a new health scandal like that of the Mediator? “We have more perspective on this pharmacological class,” notes Mr. Faillie. However, while the risks of semaglutide are “under control” in view of the benefits in diabetes, “there are still uncertainties, especially in obese patients over the long term”. “If it is used to lose a few pounds, then the therapeutic benefit is zero, it’s just aesthetics while the risks are always present,” he warns.
