Ozempic A Miracle Drug Too Good To Be True?
It has been two years since the public failure of the COVID-19 vaccine; one might think Americans would be skeptical of big pharma products & the integrity of the FDA.
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company, overtook LVMH to become Europe’s most valuable company. Maker Novo Nordisk’s drug Semaglutide, sold under Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, is a blockbuster type 2 diabetic and weight loss drug, resulting in a 1.6 billion in sales in the first quarter of 2024.
According to USA Today, Dr. Judy Korner, an endocrinologist, describes Semaglutide drugs in a very simple and elementary way. “GLP-1 goes to the pancreas and helps the pancreas make insulin – but only when the body needs insulin. So, when glucose levels rise, the body needs more insulin, and GLP-1 or Ozempic (its mimicker) helps the pancreas release insulin,” Korner explains. For weight loss, signals are sent to the appetite center in your brain to reduce hunger and increase fullness,” stated Dr. Deborah Horn, “This helps you feel full with smaller meals and decreases the need for snacks.”
Besides curbing the high blood sugar level for diabetics, millions of Americans have been taking this drug to shed excess pounds. If you go off Semaglutide drug, “Almost immediately, your weight will start creeping back up,” said Insider’s Gabby Lansverk. Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, says that much like cholesterol-controlling statin drugs, this new class of medications is likely a lifelong commitment. A study of hundreds of Ozempic takers released in 2022 found that after one year without the drug, patients regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost, cited Business Insider.
“There is a “30% chance of having GI (gastrointestinal) side effect,” according to Dr. Prateek Sharma, a professor of medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Novo Nordisk charges approximately $1,000.00 for a weekly injection. Harvard research found that the five-year cost of the Ozempic was $53,268 versus $19,685 for the minimally invasive endoscopic bariatric procedure is more cost-effective and helps shed more pounds. Either way, both have controversial side effects.
“In some people, they may also prompt bouts of vomiting that can require medical attention and slow the stomach so much that they can lead to a condition called gastroparesis. While gastroparesis may or may not improve after the medication is stopped, some patients have claimed that their condition didn’t improve months after quitting the drug”, CNN reported.
US News, published an article, Stomach Paralysis Risk May Rise in People Taking Ozempic and Similar Drugs. US News describes a study at University Hospitals in Cleveland. They combed through millions of patient records from 80 health care organizations. Focus was on adults who were obese and had no history of diabetes and had not been diagnosed with gastroparesis or pancreatitis at least six months before starting a GLP-1 medication in the 286,000 patients in this study.
Of those prescribed the GLP-1 medication for weight reduction, 10 out of 10,000 were diagnosed with gastroparesis at least six months later. Patients taking the drugs were also more likely to have nausea, vomiting, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). They were also more likely to have their gallbladders removed and experience drug-induced pancreatitis.
Sharma noted that his study included people who had diabetes in both the group taking the GLP-1 medications and in the comparison group, and they still found a higher incidence of stomach paralysis in those taking the medications, suggesting that diabetes alone wasn’t the culprit.
The FDA-approved Semaglutide products have a black box warning indicating that the Semaglutide drug carries a significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects, such as the risk of all thyroid C-cell tumors or thyroid cancers within 12-36 months of use. Additional published side effects are “gastric paralysis (paralyzed stomach muscle), leading to cyclical vomiting for years even after stopping the drug, acute and long-term kidney failure & short-term and long-term liver failure,” per Dr. Ardis.
The healthcare industries continue to disappoint consumers. Hopefully, soon, consumers will wake up and realize they have been played. Big Pharma is the biggest spender on TV ads, foundational obesity (specifically Nova Nordisk) research, civil rights groups, and medical groups such as AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics).
Per Politico, “Novo Nordisk, which makes the blockbuster weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, hired law and lobbying firm Arnold & Porter and others to try to convince policymakers to allow Medicare to cover anti-obesity medications.” Novo Nordisk spent a total of $4.6 million on lobbying the federal government last year, and $1.3 million in the first three months of 2023. The company and its six outside lobbying firms listed lobbying on obesity medicine coverage this year in disclosure forms. This is standard practice for Big Pharma, reaching deep into the pockets of Medicare & Medicaid. They know the stream of funds will be available once their drugs pass the green light.
While both drugs contain the active ingredient semaglutide, Ozempic is only approved as a diabetes treatment, though it’s prescribed off-label as an anti-obesity drug. Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss. Medicare Part D and most commercial insurers only cover Ozempic for the treatment of diabetes. Without coverage, the drugs can cost patients around $16,000 per year.
One study cited by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that coverage of weight loss drugs like Wegovy could lead to nearly $27 billion in additional Medicare Part D spending, should the 41 percent of Americans over 60 years old considered obese decide to take the drug.
Americans spent over $722 billion on prescription drugs in 2023, a nearly 14% increase from 2022, which outpaced inflation. Presidential campaigns echo the words to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and lower prescription drug prices, but they are empty promises.
According to Bernie Sanders on Fox News (June 23, 2023), “The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most powerful political forces in America. In a Congress of 100 senators and 435 members of the House, the pharmaceutical industry has more than 1,800 well-paid lobbyists on Capitol Hill. These include former leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties. With very few exceptions, the drug companies are totally unregulated. They can set their prices to any level for any reason they want. And they do!”
Although lawsuits against Ozempic have been filed, there has been much suffrage for innocent people in our country, and the FDA has turned a blind eye to drug manufacturers’ safety issues. The US FDA led the greatest catastrophe in this country’s history during the COVID lockdown. They bankrupted small businesses and some chains worldwide for nothing more than the Flu. They are starting it all over again with Bird Flu.
They were championing, promoting, and lying about the validity of the mRNA vaccine, just as they have done with so many other harmful drugs and vaccines in America. When will big pharma be held accountable?
