JAKARTA - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or BPOM AS has officially approved the pill version of Wegovy as the first oral drug to be taken daily to treat obesity. This approval marks a new chapter in the treatment of obesity, which has been synonymous with injections.
Until now, Wegovy is widely known as a weight loss drug in the form of an injection. Now with the arrival of the pill version, patients have a more practical and easy-to-use therapy option.
The FDA approval also gives an advantage to Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that produces Wegovy, over its rival Eli Lilly, which is still awaiting approval for its weight loss pill.
Wegovy pills work by the same mechanism as the injectable version, mimicking the body's natural hormone GLP-1, which plays a role in regulating appetite and satiety. This mechanism helps patients eat less food without excessive hunger.
According to Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert from Massachusetts General Hospital, the presence of this oral drug opens wider access for patients.
"There are groups of patients who are very benefited by the presence of this pill, especially those who have difficulty or are reluctant to use injections," he said, quoted from The Guardian website.
Obesity itself is a chronic disease experienced by around 100 million people in the United States and is associated with various health risks such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Wegovy pills contain 25 mg of semaglutide, the same active substance as the injectable Wegovy and Ozempic. In clinical trials, participants taking Wegovy pills lost an average of 13.6 percent of their total body weight in about 15 months.
For comparison, the placebo group only experienced a weight loss of about 2.2 percent. This figure is close to the effectiveness of the injectable version of Wegovy, which recorded an average weight loss of about 15 percent.
One of the clinical trial participants, Chris Mertens, admitted that he felt a significant change while taking Wegovy pills.
"This medicine suppresses the appetite and obsessive thoughts about food. There are even days when I forget to eat," he said.
Although practical, the Wegovy pill has special consumption rules. This drug must be taken in the morning with a little water on an empty stomach, then wait about 30 minutes before eating or drinking. This rule is intended so that the drug can be absorbed by the body optimally.
The side effects that appear are generally similar to other GLP-1 drugs, such as nausea and diarrhea, especially at the beginning of use.
The production of drugs in pill form is considered cheaper than injections. Novo Nordisk said the initial dose of Wegovy pills will be available for around 149 US dollars per month through a number of health service providers.
The US government has previously stated that it has tried to suppress the price of GLP-1 drugs, which can reach more than 1,000 US dollars per month.
With the approval of Wegovy pills by the US BPOM, obesity treatment is now entering a new era. This pill is expected to be an alternative that is more accessible, affordable, and helps more people in managing their weight sustainably.
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