There's no doubt that 2024 has been the year of semaglutide. In the space of just a few months, the drug – designed originally to treat type 2 diabetes and sold under a variety of brand names, chiefly Ozempic and Wegovy – has kick-started a cultural and diet revolution. We talk of 'Ozempic face' (a gaunt look that users get, see also Sharon Osbourne); the internet is full of memes about the drug; plus it's the topic of conversation around dinner tables and the subject of endless gossip and TV discussions (are they or aren't they, would you, wouldn't you?).
Semaglutide has almost single-handedly destroyed the hitherto mighty and highly lucrative diet industry (shares in WeightWatchers have fallen by 80 per cent over the past five years); Conservative leadership contender Robert Jenrick admitted using it 'for a short period of time'; and it's sparked concerns about the return of the waif in the fashion industry, which has, understandably, upset the body-positivity movement. It's also been the subject of several high-profile clinical trials claiming that, as well as 'curing' obesity, it can stave off other diseases such as cancer and dementia; while there have been dire shortages and horror stories of fake formulas being sold online causing nightmarish side-effects and even death. And it's made its manufacturers very, very rich indeed.
It's a game-changer and, like all game-changers, it's attracted much controversy. The world seems to be divided into those who think it's the.
