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Here's How Ozempic Actually Works for Weight Loss

There’s an abundance of drugs whose mechanisms are surprisingly complex. Popular diabetes and weight-loss treatments like Ozempic and Wegovy are two such drugs.

By Sean Mowbray; Medically Reviewed by Dr. Ahmad Talha Azam
May 7, 2024 1:00 PM
Ozempic injection pens and box. Ozempic is a medication for diabetes
Ozempic is FDA-approved for treating diabetes, while Wegovy is FDA-approved for treating obesity. Both drugs contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, which may have weight-loss effects. (Credit: Marc Bruxelle/Shutterstock)

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Though initially intended to treat diabetes, Ozempic has acquired another application in recent years. Heralded as a wildly effective weight-loss drug, it provides millions of people with obesity an alternative route for reducing their weight, albeit a financially costly one.

Yet this weight-loss effect is sometimes described as simple “serendipity,” and a full understanding of how this drug works has yet to be achieved.


Read More: What Factors Matter Most For Weight Loss?


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