An Overview of Semaglutide: Effectiveness, Side Effects, and Cost
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.2874Keywords:
Semaglutide, Obesity in the United StatesAbstract
More than two out of every five people in the United States have obesity (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2021), and by 2030, approximately half of the U.S. population will have obesity (Finkelstein et al., 2012). Obesity and type 2 diabetes are significant global health challenges, each associated with serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and other metabolic disorders. As rates of obesity continue to rise, effective treatments are essential to address this growing concern. One such intervention gaining national attention is semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Semaglutide was originally developed to manage type 2 diabetes but has also been effective in promoting weight loss, leading to its FDA approval as Wegovy for chronic weight management in 2021. This medication mimics the body’s natural GLP-1 hormone to reduce appetite and slow digestion. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of semaglutide, including its effectiveness and side effects, its role as a GLP-1 receptor agonist in managing diabetes and weight loss, and the long-term challenges associated with its use.
References
Chaudhury, A., Duvoor, C., Reddy Dendi, V. S., Kraleti, S., Chada, A., Ravilla, R., Marco, A., Shekhawat, N. S., Montales, M. T., Kuriakose, K., Sasapu, A., Beebe, A., Patil, N., Musham, C. K., Lohani, G. P., & Mirza, W. (2017). Clinical Review of Antidiabetic Drugs: Implications for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Management. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2017.00006
Dinsmore, T. C., Liu, J., Miao, J., Ünsal, Ö., Sürmeli, D., Beinborn, M., Lin, Y.-S., & Kumar, K. (2024). Potent and Protease Resistant Azapeptide Agonists of the GLP-1 and GIP Receptors. Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. In English), 63(49), e202410237. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202410237
FDA. (2024, December 18). FDA’s Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
Finkelstein, E. A., Khavjou, O. A., Thompson, H., Trogdon, J. G., Pan, L., Sherry, B., & Dietz, W. (2012). Obesity and Severe Obesity Forecasts Through 2030. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 42(6), 563–570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2011.10.026
Garvey, W. T., Batterham, R. L., Bhatta, M., Buscemi, S., Christensen, L. N., Frias, J. P., Jódar, E., Kandler, K., Rigas, G., Wadden, T. A., & Wharton, S. (2022). Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial. Nature Medicine, 28(10), 2083–2091. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02026-4
Ghusn, W., & Hurtado, M. D. (2024). Glucagon-like Receptor-1 agonists for obesity: Weight loss outcomes, tolerability, side effects, and risks. Obesity Pillars, 12, 100127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obpill.2024.100127
Gorgojo-Martínez, J. J., Mezquita-Raya, P., Carretero-Gómez, J., Castro, A., Cebrián-Cuenca, A., de Torres-Sánchez, A., García-de-Lucas, M. D., Núñez, J., Obaya, J. C., Soler, M. J., Górriz, J. L., & Rubio-Herrera, M. Á. (2023). Clinical Recommendations to Manage Gastrointestinal Adverse Events in Patients Treated with Glp-1 Receptor Agonists: A Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(1), 145. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12010145
Kim, N., Wang, J., Burudpakdee, C., Song, Y., Ramasamy, A., Xie, Y., Sun, R., Kumar, N., Wu, E. Q., & Sullivan, S. D. (2022). Cost-effectiveness analysis of semaglutide 2.4 mg for the treatment of adult patients with overweight and obesity in the United States. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 28(7), 740–752. https://doi.org/10.18553/jmcp.2022.28.7.740
Montero, A., Sparks, G., Presiado, M., & Hamel, L. (2024, May 10). KFF Health Tracking Poll May 2024: The Public’s Use and Views of GLP-1 Drugs. KFF. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-may-2024-the-publics-use-and-views-of-glp-1-drugs/
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2021, September). Overweight & Obesity Statistics. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; National Institute of Health. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
Newsome, P., Francque, S., Harrison, S., Ratziu, V., Van Gaal, L., Calanna, S., Hansen, M., Linder, M., & Sanyal, A. (2019). Effect of semaglutide on liver enzymes and markers of inflammation in subjects with type 2 diabetes and/or obesity. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 50(2), 193–203. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15316
Nicolau, J., María Isabel Tamayo, Sanchís, P., Pujol, A., Pérez-Bec, G., Guido Sfondrini, & Lluís Masmiquel. (2024). Short-term effects of semaglutide among patients with obesity with and without food addiction: an observational study. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2024.2315365
Palana, C. (2024). Analyzing The Effects Of Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) On Metabolism: Investigating Correlations With Weight Reduction. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 8(4), 19–41. http://184.168.115.16/index.php/jppw/article/view/18595
Ruan, Z., Yang, L., Shi, H., Yue, X., Wang, Y., Liang, M., & Hu, H. (2021). The cost-effectiveness of once-weekly semaglutide compared with other GLP-1 receptor agonists in type 2 Diabetes: a systematic literature review. Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2021.1860022
Ryan, D. H., Lingvay, I., Deanfield, J., Kahn, S. E., Barros, E., Burguera, B., Colhoun, H. M., Cercato, C., Dicker, D., Horn, D. B., Hovingh, G. K., Jeppesen, O. K., Kokkinos, A., Lincoff, A. M., Meyhöfer, S. M., Oral, T. K., Plutzky, J., van Beek, A. P., Wilding, J. P. H., & Kushner, R. F. (2024). Long-term weight loss effects of semaglutide in obesity without diabetes in the SELECT trial. Nature Medicine, 30(30), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-02996-7
Singh, G., Krauthamer, M., & Bjalme-Evans, M. (2023). Wegovy (semaglutide): a new weight loss drug for chronic weight management. Journal of Investigative Medicine, 70(1), jim-2021-001952. https://doi.org/10.1136/jim-2021-001952
Tan, H. C., Dampil, O. A., & Marquez, M. M. (2022). Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Obesity Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies, 37(2), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.037.02.14
Downloads
Posted
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mani Vahedi Kafshgari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.