Anti-obesity injection to be available in France soon
The drug is similar to Ozempic, which has been so popular in the US that stocks are running low
Wegovy contains semaglutide which regulates blood sugar and insulin and reduces appetite
Uwe Aranas / Shutterstock
An appetite-suppressing prescription drug that helps obese people lose weight – so popular in the US that stocks are running low – is to be available in France in the coming months.
Wegovy is similar to Ozempic, a drug prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes that caused alarm among French health officials last autumn over its misuse by non-diabetics wanting to lose weight.
Read more: Don’t use diabetic drug for weight loss, warns French health agency
French doctors have been asked to limit Ozempic to existing patients to protect stocks.
Both drugs are administered by injection and are made by the Danish firm Novo Nordisk, which has committed to invest two billion euros into making them at its laboratory in Chartres, south-west of Paris.
Up to 500 jobs will be created at the site in the Eure-et-Loire.
Weight loss of 15% is usual
The drugs contain semaglutide, which regulates blood sugar and insulin.
It also reduces appetite and causes the stomach to empty more slowly so a person feels fuller faster.
Weight loss of 15% is usual. However, many people who stop using it put on weight again.
Wegovy has also been shown to reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack.
Read more: Obesity in France must be made national priority, say health groups
Only prescribed by specialist obesity doctors
Elon Musk is among high-profile users of Wegovy, which was approved for use against obesity in the US in 2021 and in Europe last year.
It is available on prescription in the UK at a cost of around £300 a month.
France’s national health authority recommended Wegovy be prescribed to under-65s with a body mass index of more than 35kg/m² as part of a controlled diet and exercise regime.
The authority said initial prescriptions should be written only by specialist obesity doctors, or those working in gastroenterology, endocrinology, diabetology and nutrition, as well as specialist obesity or university hospital centres.
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