By Dr. Richard Chern, M.D.
If you haven’t heard already there is a new weight loss medication available at a reasonable cost. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist which means it activates the GLP-1 receptor. Still confused? It doesn’t matter. It has several important actions in the body.
Semaglutide ultimately helps your body lose weight by improving the regulation of sugar levels and insulin levels in the body. If this sounds like a medication for diabetes instead of weight loss then you would be correct. This class of medications was developed to improve diabetes. Astonishingly, in studies, many of my patients lost significant weight. In fact, up to 30% of their body weight. And, much of the weight stayed off after stopping the medication.
This medication also slows the stomach. Food stays in the stomach longer so you feel full longer. And your stomach gets full faster so you eat less. These medications help people lose significant weight and you lose weight without feeling hungry!
Sounds like magic, right?
I have been seeing patients for over 30 years. I have seen so many weight loss drugs come on and go. This is the first time I have ever been excited to tell people about a weight loss medication.
So how is it possible this medication is available? Well, this medication was initially Ozempic. The FDA allows a new medication to have a patent, or monopoly, on the medication for many years. They say this gives the company enough time to recoup their cost of development. This medication was being sold for over $1500/month and was only available to patients with diabetes.
Fortunately for us the drug company had no idea that the medication was going to be so popular and they essentially could not keep up with demand. They ran out of medication! So how is the medication available? The two ways branded medication can be manufactured by other companies is if the medication’s patent has expired OR if the medication is no longer available from the manufacturer. So as soon as the company ran out, the other companies jumped in and started production of the generic equivalent semaglutide. It’s possible this price break might end once the drug company gets production online but we just don’t know.
If you’re interested in losing significant amounts of weight and keeping it off, without feeling hungry you should give us a call at 850-837-1271. We still have appointments open.
Dr Richard Chern MD and Sue Griffin ARNP specialize in hormone therapy for both men and women and have been seeing patients in Miramar Beach for 10 years. Dr Chern also teaches hormone therapy to physicians across the county. Give them a call today at 850-837-1271 for your appointment.
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