What are they and how do they work: Ozempic and Vegovi, the drugs for which their creators won the Princess of Asturias

This Wednesday, five world experts in the field of endocrinology were awarded the 2024 Princess of Asturias Prize for Scientific and Technical Research for the creation of “miracle” drugs. It’s about Ozempich and Vegovy, two medications designed to treat type 2 diabetes that have also been shown to be effective for weight loss and various chronic diseases.

These two treatments, created by Daniel J. Drucker, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Joel F. Habener, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Moisova and sold by Novo Nordisk Laboratories, one of the most important in the world, are beneficial due to their magical component. : semaglutide, an active ingredient that helps control blood sugar and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

After several studies, scientists realized that this ingredient prevents complications associated with type 2 diabetes, for example, high blood pressure, heart disease or cardiovascular disease. However, although they were created to treat this disease, they are not famous for their effectiveness in these patients, but rather because their side effects include: weight loss.

These “miraculous” injections act as satiators, and therefore help, in particular, diabetics control anxiety and stop eating. These are not the only medications responsible for this, other brands such as Trulicity and Zepbound do the same thing.

As explained in the technical specifications for both treatments, GLP-1 analogue drugs are approved for improve glycemic control in the treatment of adults who, despite diet and exercise, according to the recommendations of doctors, cannot control type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, some analogues are also approved for weight control in certain situations. However, this is not his usual goal. It is designed to cause the patient’s pancreas to secrete more insulin when blood sugar levels are high and delay the release of food from the stomach.

“Golden” medicine

The treatment brought hope to many people, but most of all, This made the Danes rich. Ozempic and Vegovi became stars of Novo Nordisk laboratories. The pharmaceutical company recorded a net profit of DKK 61.72 billion (EUR 8.27 billion) in the first months of 2023. This increased the result recorded for the same period in 2022 by 47%.

Similarly, net profit for the first three quarters of last year was DKK 166,398 million (22,295.8 million euros). Compared to the same period last year, there was again an increase of 29%.

And they plan to continue to grow, as at the end of 2023 the scientific journal The science, in the publication Preview 2023, recognized drugs with semaglutide as a new product of the year. Under the headline: “Obesity Lives Up to Its Purpose,” the article noted that top-selling weight-loss drugs promise “a wide range of health benefits.”

Its many benefits

After several clinical trials, researchers found that these treatments, in addition to reducing weight and controlling type 2 diabetes, reduce symptoms of heart failure And risk of heart attack and stroke. Others are trying these drugs for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, in part because they have been shown to target brain inflammation.