The Ozempic era is only just beginning

Only a year ago, as hype was building around the semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, conversations revolved around their potential to “end obesity” by helping people drop large amounts of weight.

Then there was talk of how semaglutide’s appeal for weight loss was causing shortages for people who needed it to treat their diabetes, as well as which celebrities might have been getting their hands on it. Despite the buzz, these treatments were still somewhat exotic.

Today, there is no longer talk of shortages. In fact, it is easier than ever to obtain these medications from online pharmacies, provided you have the funds and the right BMI. At lightning speed, the jabs have become household names. You or someone you know may well be taking one.

Some data indicates that as many as 1 in 8 people in the US have tried one of the new generation of weight-loss drugs; in Britain, around 1 in 7 people have taken one or have a family member or friend who has done so. It is fair to say we are living in the era of Ozempic, and it is changing much more than our collective waistlines.

In this special report, we take a clear-eyed look at the new normal and the questions it raises. What do these treatments mean for traditional approaches to weight loss, in particular exercise (see “Why exercise is more important than ever when taking weight-loss drugs”), and will those on the drugs really need to keep taking them for life (see “GLP-1 drugs are only the start – the powerful drugs to expect next”)? Over the past year, we have seen study after study examine their benefits for other conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, depression and addiction. So how do they influence the brain beyond appetite regulation (see “What do GLP-1 drugs really tell us about the brain’s reward system?”)?

Many people are experimenting with taking them in smaller doses, but is this a good idea (see “Microdosing GLP-1 drugs is on the rise – but does it work?”)? And we also ask what all of this means for society as a whole (see “The unexpected impacts of a society transformed by weight-loss drugs”) and what comes next (see “GLP-1 drugs are only the start – the powerful drugs to expect next”).

What’s clear is that the new boom in weight-loss drugs is just the beginning. In another year’s time, things are likely to look very different once again.