A drug used by Hollywood A-listers as an apparent slimming tool is to launch in Britain to help people lose weight.
Semaglutide is currently licenced in the UK under the brand name Ozempic to help treat diabetes, but has the side effect of losing weight. Now a new Semaglutide product specifically aimed at shedding pounds is reportedly due to launch here this year under the name Wegovy.
It is due to go on sale in the UK in the spring and will be sold in Boots, the Mail on Sunday reports.
The drug’s manufacturer, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, said the drug will go on the market ‘as soon as possible’.
The price of the slimming drug is not yet known but current users of Ozempic pay around £180 for a month’s supply.
The drug suppresses appetite and is injected once a week using medical pens. Users shed an average of 16 per cent of their body weight over a year.
Twitter owner Elon Musk has used the drug, while Kim Kardashian is rumoured to have used Semaglutide to lose 16 pounds to fit into a dress at the Met Gala once worn by Marilyn Monroe.
Dr David Eccleston, a private Birmingham GP specialising in fat loss, said he has turned more than 100 patients down who have requested Ozempic as a slimming treatment.
He said: “No medical professional in the UK is allowed to actively promote Ozempic as a treatment for obesity because it is outside the product licence.”
Novo Nordisk also says it does not support ‘off-label prescribing’, saying: “Patient safety is our priority. All prescriptions of our products should be in line with the approved summary of product characteristics and the therapeutic indication.”
A Boots spokesman said: “Wegovy is a prescription-only weight-loss medicine that can help to regulate appetite and reduce cravings.
“It can be an effective medicine to achieve sustained weight loss when used alongside a reduced calorie diet, increased physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.”
Doctors have warned that weight loss medication such as Ozempic can result in unwanted side effects including facial ageing.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards recently hit out at critics accusing her of using Ozempic.
The 54-year-old said that she “cannot stand” people alleging that she uses Ozempic to lose weight, adding that she goes to the gym for two hours every morning.
This article was amended on the day of publication to clarify that Wegovy is used for weight loss and not for the treatment of diabetes.
