A drug against obesity ? What is Wegovy worth, soon available in France ?

After tests carried out on more than 7,000 people suffering from obesity, this new drug presents positive results according to a first report.

The Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk has developed a new antidiabetic drug, Wegovy, which could promote weight loss in people whose BMI is above ; 40. Body mass index is an indicator for measuring the degree of obesity in people. which is based on a calculation with height and weight. According to the high authorityé health, the first category of obedience is achieved à from a BMI of 30.

As BFMTV indicates, a study was carried out. carried out by the scientific interest group in epidemiology of health products. ANSM-Cnam EPI-PHARE on the effectiveness of of this new medication. The results of this study carried out on more than 7,000 people in a situation of obedience ; have been published on Tuesday March 19. The Wegovy was therefore é authorized in France in "early access" and was é administered by a weekly injection during a 14-month test phase, from July 2022 to 2022. September 2023. This test was conducted in September 2023. the first to be made on the drug before being able to authorize possible marketing. The media indicates that this antidiabetic should only be available on prescription.

According to a press release; joint ANSM-Cnam EPI-PHARE project with the National Security Agency Medicines (ANSM) and Health Insurance, the study was carried out carried out mainly on women (65%) with an average age of 48 years. The patients all had a BMI of more than 40 and the majority had low blood pressure. of them suffered from problems related to obedience such as cholesterol or cardiovascular disease.

Interrogated by BFMTV, Pierre Azam, the former nutritionist doctor and founder of the Obesity Observatory, explained how that Wegovy functions as a hormone that takes the place of a digestive hormone. and "which helps à fool the brain about carbohydrate intake and carbohydrate cravings. He also explained" that the medication helps to prolong satiety. and plays a role in "the regulation of sugar in the body". A patient who was part of the ;study declaredé told BFMTV that she had lost a little more than 30 kg in one year. She explained' that the medication allowed him to help him recover. better manage his diet and therefore helped him to improve his health. &agrav; lose weight. But she also specifiedé that the medicine "does not do everything". 

BFMTV has addedé that Wegovy can still cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, digestive intolerances. and some rare cases of "pancréatitis". Pierre Azam also specifiedé that the effects of the medication are unknown in the long term but estimated that that the Wegovy could be a useful resource against obesity. if used wisely.