By now you’ll have likely heard at least one story about someone who got their hands on some off-label diabetes medicine and managed to lose three pounds in two weeks with virtually zero other life changes.
This is Ozempic, or Wegovy, as it’ll come to be known in the UK once it gets here later this year. It’s a drug that was originally developed to help minimise the symptoms of type two diabetes or manage long term weight loss in people struggling with obesity, but over the past year it has turned into something else entirely: liquid gold.
As well as whispers about the weight loss abilities of Ozempic, you’ve probably heard it in conjunction with a handful of celebrity names, especially if those celebrities have been looking suspiciously slim in recent months. It’s most commonly associated with Kim Kardashian and her whopping 16 pound weight loss ahead of the Met Gala last year, but Kim has continually suppressed these claims and swears it’s all down to good old fashioned hard work.
Even if that is true, the drug is all over Hollywood. Elon Musk has admitted to using it, Khloe Kardashian has had to deny that she’s on it, and late night host Andy Cohen — who sees more stars than the average person — called it out in a tweet back in September, saying: “Everyone is suddenly showing up 25 pounds lighter. What happens when they stop taking #Ozempic?????”
In fact, it’s far from West Coast centric anymore: Earlier this week a Twitter user shared an image of Ozempic ads plastered across the New York subway with the caption “The ozempic ads plastered across the Times Square subway station can f*** all the way off.” Despite originating in the celebrity orbit, a handful of A listers have expressed contempt at the drug’s widespread marketing, with actress Sophie Turner and model Charli Howard resharing the tweet and agreeing with its caption.
The ozempic ads plastered across the Times Square subway station can fuck all the way off. pic.twitter.com/dPUU7P6AU2
— Sophie Vershbow (@svershbow) April 2, 2023
The criticism is coming in hot: it’s severely triggering for people with eating disorders, as Turner and Howard both pointed out. It can cost thousands to acquire on the black market. It will lead to “Ozempic face” in a couple of years’ time. There’s a mountain of downsides to this dream weight loss solution, so let’s weigh it all up: how does Ozempic actually work, when is it coming to the UK, and why does it all seem a little too good to be true?
How does Ozempic work?
Like most drugs, while it may be known as Ozempic, this is actually just its brand name. “Ozempic is a version of a drug called semaglutide,” explains registered nutritionist Jane Mostowfi. “Semaglutide is a GLP agonist, and these are a class of medication associated with weight loss and blood sugar regulation,” — hence its use in treating type 2 diabetes.
“The way these medications work is by mimicking the actions of a hormone called GLP-1,” Mostowfi says, “that helps regulate your appetite, especially after eating, and it also enhances the production of insulin.” But it’s the appetite regulation people are most into, and this works by Ozempic (or semaglutide based drugs) slowing down your digestion. “It basically keeps someone feeling fuller for longer,” Mostowfi says.
Or, to put it more simply, here’s how Jeremy Clarkson (Ozempic’s newest convert) described it in The Sunday Times back in January: “You can look at a Sunday roast, with gravy and beef and perfect Yorkshire puddings, and you think: ‘I’ll just have a stick of celery instead.’"
Practically speaking, like most diabetes medication it is typically injected into your stomach or your leg. This is done on a weekly basis, as Ozempic’s effects decrease towards the latter end of the week.
The side effects
“Most people risk having really bad nausea and diarrhoea,” Mostowfi says, “and some people even have vomiting. Less commonly, you can have altered taste or risk getting acute pancreatitis [infection of the pancreas]. It’s also not recommended if you have a family history of thyroid cancer, pancreas problems or endocrine issues.”
Boots also lists fatigue and headaches as very common side effects of Wegovy, the version of Ozempic coming to the UK, as well as constipation, flatulence and feeling lightheaded. As well as these, more serious problems can arise like the development of gallstones, gastroesophageal reflux, injection site reactions, hair loss and hypoglycemia in patients with type two diabetes.
What is Ozempic face?
One of the first suggestions that comes up when you Google Ozempic, aside from “UK”, which only serves to illustrate just how much we can expect demand to peak upon its arrival, is “Ozempic face” — the side effect people seem to be primarily concerned about.
The term was coined by Dr Paul Jarrod Frank, a dermatologist based in New York who recently told The New York Times that he’s begun seeing Ozempic face in his office “every day”.
“A 50-year-old patient will come in, and suddenly, she’s super-skinny and needs filler, which she never needed before,” he told the outlet. “I look at her and say: ‘How long have you been on Ozempic?’ And I’m right 100 per cent of the time. It’s the drug of choice these days for the one per cent.”
The same New York Times article features a testimonial from a woman who believes she gave herself Ozempic face. After losing 20 pounds in three months thanks to Ozempic, 41-year-old Jennifer Berger suddenly realised her face was looking past its years. “I remember looking in the mirror, and it was almost like I didn’t even recognize myself,” she told The New York Times. “My body looked great, but my face looked exhausted and old.”
When is Ozempic coming to the UK and how do you get it prescribed?
So Ozempic isn’t technically coming to the UK: Wegovy is. “Ozempic is only approved by NICE [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] to treat diabetes whereas Wegovy is for obesity and weight management,” Mostowfi explains. Boots will begin stocking Wegovy in 2023, though it hasn’t specified when.
As for getting it prescribed? Well, you’ll need to complete an online consultation via Boots or go to your doctor, and Wegovy can only be prescribed for adults with a BMI of at least 30, which is considered to be obesity. In fact, the Chief Medical Officer at Numan, Professor Sam Shah, says the criteria might be even tougher than that. “The latest information from NICE is that it will be available for people with a BMI of 35 and a weight related comorbidity,” Shah says, “This means that those with a BMI of 30-35, who are still considered obese and at high risk of obesity related illness, may not be able to access the treatment on the NHS.”
So essentially, unless you are obese and you really, really need it, it doesn’t look like you’re going to have much luck getting those highly coveted Wegovy injections from your local Boots.
