It was sometime during the COVID-19 pandemic when Wegovy and Ozempic hit mainstream awareness. Since then, they have taken the weight loss industry by storm. (Also Read | Lose 3 kg in 7 days? Dietitian shares soup recipe for quick weight loss; find out if it actually works ) It's worth noting from the start that while both are based on the same drug or active ingredient — semaglutide — as products, Wegovy and Ozempic were originally intended for different uses.
Ozempic was first approved in 2017 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an injectable drug to help "lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in addition to diet and exercise." Wegovy was approved the same year to help adults and children aged 12 years and older, who were overweight or living with obesity . Semaglutide can also be taken as a tablet, marketed with the name Rybelsus.
From tech to television: Celebrities lose weight Celebrities, tech moguls and online influencers have championed the drug — known users include screen stars, musicians and comedians like Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Clarkson and Amy Schumer. Elon Musk, the public face of X, SpaceX and Tesla, tweeted in October 2022 that he was taking Wegovy when someone asked "What's your secret? You look fit, ripped and healthy ." All this celebrity endorsement for Wegovy and its sibling-products has had a social impact, but also a financial one.
What was a drug for a specific medical market has become a phenomenon, visible .