The arrival of GLP-1 analogue drugs (such as Wegovy) marked a huge shift in the weight loss drug market. These drugs have been shown to lead to significant weight loss in users – as much as 15% or more of their body weight in clinical trials. For this reason, demand for weight loss drugs has skyrocketed worldwide.
Most of the GLP-1 analogue drugs on the market are taken as a weekly injection under the skin. But many companies are now working on translating these drugs into a form that can be taken orally, as a pill. But will weight loss pills be as effective as the injectable GLP-1 drugs already on the market? How do injectable weight loss drugs work? When we eat, the gastrointestinal system produces a variety of hormones in response, that go on to signal satiety to the brain .
Collectively, these hormones are called “incretins”. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and islet amyloid polypeptide (amylin) are all incretins . Incretins signal the hypothalamus (a structure in the brain that links the endocrine and nervous systems) and other brain regions to tell the rest of the body we’re full.
The drug semaglutide (sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic) mimics the naturally occurring incretin GLP-1. But unlike the GLP-1 the body produces ( which is quickly broken down by enzymes after it’s been released ), semaglutide has been pharmacologically modified so that the hormone lasts longer in the body – thereby maki.