Brazil's EMS to sell injector pens to treat obesity
The pens, made in Brazil, uses liraglutide as an active ingredient, like Saxenda, from Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab, which has demonstrated consistent benefits in controlling blood glucose and weight, EMS said.
Saxenda is part of the same class of medication as Nordisk's popular Ozempic.
A total of 100,000 Olire pens, for the treatment of obesity, and 50,000 Lirux pens, for the control of type 2 diabetes, will be available at select pharmacy chains in Brazil.
The launch of both medications comes as Brazilian companies, including EMS and rival Hypera Pharma (HYPE3.SA), opens new tab, gear up to launch semaglutide medications next year, as Ozempic's patent in the country is expected to expire in March.
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Sky News
42 minutes ago
- Sky News
Ozempic to Mounjaro - what are the weight loss injections and what were they designed to do?
Drugs designed to treat diabetes and repurposed as miracle diet aids have taken over TikTok - and Hollywood. The weight loss caused by these weekly injectables is rapid and previously unattainable, people boast, showing off newly svelte bodies. But what are these drugs, how do they work - and what were they originally designed to do? Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro - what are they? Let's start with the most well-known of the trio: Ozempic. Ozempic blew up in 2022 - if media reports from the US were to be believed, every pound dropped in LA was probably thanks to the "miracle" injectable drug. What started as the preserve of A-listers and the Hollywood elite quickly grew in popularity. The drug's generic name is semaglutide. This is the same as Wegovy, which has been licensed as a weight loss drug in the UK and is now available on the NHS. Wegovy has a slightly higher dosage and is designed for weight loss, while Ozempic's primary purpose was as a diabetes treatment (more on that later). Mounjaro - also known by its generic name tirzepatide - is the newer kid on the block. Like Ozempic and Wegovy, it suppresses the appetite and lengthens the amount of time food stays in the stomach, leading to weight loss - at least for as long as you carry on taking it. In 2022, the US Food and Drink Administration (FDA) fast-tracked approval of the drug to treat obesity after a study showed it helped people lose more than 20% of their bodyweight. Mounjaro was supposed to be available through GP surgeries and other community services in the UK from 23 June. But at the start of August, Sky News research revealed only eight of 42 NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England had started providing treatment to patients, and many of the rest unable to guarantee when it would be available. 3:31 From diabetes drug to diet pill Ozempic and Mounjaro were both developed as treatments for type 2 diabetes. The drugs, which come as weekly injections, lower blood sugar by increasing insulin production when your blood sugar is rising and helping prevent your liver making and releasing too much sugar. So how do they cause weight loss? Both semaglutide and tirzepatide work by mimicking the hormone, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide one), to manage hunger and slow down digestion. Tirzepatide - Mounjaro - is a dual-acting drug and also mimics the hormone GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). In terms of weight loss, in clinical trials people lost up to 20% of their body weight on tirzepatide and 15% on semaglutide. Researchers have also found the weight loss jabs could reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes or heart failure in obese people regardless of the amount of weight they lose. They sound like miracle drugs for people wanting to lose weight - what's the catch? There are a few downsides. First off, the listed side effects: nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, bad enough for about 5% of people in the semaglutide trial to stop taking it and 6-7% in the tirzepatide trial. People in the semaglutide trial also experienced problems with gallstones. The drugs also carry serious risks including kidney failure, pancreatitis and thyroid cancer. Another downside has been dubbed "Ozempic face". Facial ageing is a side effect of sudden weight loss as people find the skin on their face sagging where once it was plump. The drugs also only work for as long as you carry on taking them, and people have reported gaining back all the weight they lost after stopping the drug - either out of choice or because of a supply shortage. In August, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - the body that provides guidance on the use of new drugs - said that people coming off the drugs should be offered "structured advice and follow-up support" to help prevent weight gain. This includes being monitored by the NHS for at least a year after completing treatment and support to help build "long-term behavioural habits, use self-monitoring tools, and draw on wider support - from online communities to family-led interventions and local activities". Shortages for diabetics Perhaps a bigger conversation than side effects for individuals is around the impact on people who rely on these treatments, now they've exploded in popularity as a weight loss quick-fix. While intended for diabetics, Ozempic and Mounjaro are prescribed "off-label" in the US to people wanting to shed weight. The drugs faced widespread shortage last year, with reports of diabetics having to drive from pharmacy to pharmacy in search of stock because of the high demand. Links to cancer prevention Research has suggested weight loss jabs, officially GLP-1 receptor agonists, could almost halve the risk of obesity-related cancers. The study, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga. It found that there were similar rates of obesity -related cancer among patients treated with the injections and those given weight loss, or bariatric, surgery. Dr Yael Wolff Sagy, the study's co-lead author from Clalit Health Services in Tel-Aviv, Israel, said a "direct effect" of the injections was that they were found "to be 41% more effective at preventing obesity-related cancer". "We do not yet fully understand how GLP-1s work," she said. "But this study adds to the growing evidence showing that weight loss alone cannot completely account for the metabolic, anti-cancer, and many other benefits that these medications provide." Co-lead Professor Dror Dicker, from Hasharon Hospital, Rabin Medical Centre in Israel, suggested the protective effects of the drugs "likely arise from multiple mechanisms, including reducing inflammation". He added further research was needed "to make sure that these drugs do not increase the risk for non-obesity-related cancers". Being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK, causing more than one in 20 cancer cases, according to the NHS. Are they available in the UK? An estimated 1.5 million people are taking weight loss jabs in the UK, the vast majority of whom pay for them privately. Ozempic is available in the UK for type 2 diabetes patients with a prescription. Wegovy and Mounjaro is available to NHS patients, but only through specialist weight management services. Over the next three years, around 240,000 people with the "greatest need" are expected to receive Mounjaro through the NHS. However, Sky News research into Wegovy and Mounjaro shows delays in the rollout of both weight loss jabs.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mother-of-two, 49, issues warning after weight loss jabs left her passing BLACK urine and hospitalised: 'I thought I was going to die'
A mother has told how she felt 'lucky to be alive' after a weight loss jab left her hospitalised and suffering black urine. Claire Reed, from Aberdeen in Scotland, was prescribed Mounjaro in March after she was left 'fed up' of not fitting into her clothes properly. The 49-year-old, who was classed as overweight, claimed she only had to fill out a questionnaire provided by online pharmacy MedExpress before she was offered the £200 a month drug. She lost four stone in the first four months, dropping from 15 to 11 stone. But in June, she suddenly began to feel nauseous every time she tried to eat or drink and would faint almost daily. Despite noticing her urine had turned black due to dehydration she refused to tell family and friends she was on the jab over fear of embarrassment. It was only when she fell unconscious in the car, her son and daughter rushed her to hospital and she was immediately put on an IV drip to rehydrate the body. Tirzepatide, the ingredient behind Mounjaro, has long been hailed a game-changer in tackling obesity. Administered weekly, the drug—manufactured by Eli Lilly—is designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes Administered weekly, the drug—manufactured by Eli Lilly—is designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes. However, the injections, known collectively as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), are known to cause worrying side effects such as pancreatitis—when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed—or gastrointestinal issues. The family of drugs known as GLP-1 RAs, originally developed to treat diabetes, are now often being used for weight loss as they were found to suppress a patient's appetite. Recalling her terrifying ordeal, Ms Reed said: 'I was going on holiday to Dubai with my daughter and I was fed up with not fitting in my clothes. I wasn't really that big but that was the motivation to start. 'I ordered them online, I didn't go to the doctor. There were no instructions on how to deal with it, it works for a lot of women quite well. 'I couldn't eat so I was just collapsing because I had no food or water, I wasn't able to process anything in my body. 'I felt very sick and had no appetite. Even on holiday, I couldn't eat. It's not nice going on holiday and not eating because your whole life revolves around food. 'I kept collapsing at the end of the day because when you're not drinking or eating anything your body just shuts down. 'It was always at the end of the day but I didn't say anything, I was embarrassed. 'I was never going to the toilet and when I did my urine was black. I had to force myself to drink water.' She added: 'We were in the car and I was just passing out, going in and out of consciousness, my daughter and son started panicking and they took me straight to the doctor, who referred me to hospital. 'They put me on an IV. I told them I've been taking the jab and they said this could be what it is.' Ms Reed has now vowed never to use the jabs again but is still struggling to eat as she did before starting the medication. 'I'm still not hungry and still not gaining weight. Any food at all makes me feel sick,' she said. 'I was very scared, your body needs food and fluid. I thought I could die, I stopped just now and I've never been like this before, trying to get the jab out of my system. 'The consultant said this is a big problem because the people selling it to you can't see you, they're just asking a quick questionnaire. And then you're left on your own. 'Your appetite won't come back, it's absolutely terrible. I'm so weak and tired all the time. 'There's not enough awareness about the dangers of taking it, everyone wants to lose weight and feel great but there are risks.' MedExpress and Eli Lilly have both been approached for comment. At least half a million NHS patients and some 15million patients in the US are now thought to be using weight-loss jabs, which can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight in just a few months. And the numbers using them privately are even higher. They have also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. However, other reported problems using the jabs include constipation, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and even hair loss. In June, UK medicines watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also revealed it had received more than 560 reports of people developing an inflamed pancreas after taking so-called 'GLP-1' injections since they were first launched. Ten cases proved fatal. Under official guidelines, only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, or those who have a BMI of 30 to 34.9 and meet the criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service, should be prescribed weight loss jabs. In the UK, law forbids the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a medical professional.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Hims & Hers falls as declining subscriber base weighs on revenue
Aug 5 (Reuters) - Shares of telehealth firm Hims & Hers (HIMS.N), opens new tab fell as much as 5% on Tuesday after the company reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter revenue, hurt by a loss of subscribers in its weight-loss treatment as well as the sexual health business. Hims shifted to selling smaller, "personalized" dosages of Novo Nordisk's ( opens new tab popular weight-loss drug, Wegovy, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suspended sales of the drug's copies it had allowed during a period of drug shortage. The company recorded $190 million in GLP-1-related revenue, down around $40 million sequentially, as it also lost subscribers on its commercially available doses of Wegovy. Novo Nordisk ( opens new tab in June terminated its partnership with Hims over the company's marketing tactics and continued sales of Wegovy copies even after FDA's ban on such sales. Leerink Partners analysts flagged the GLP-1 revenue dip as expected. However, the market reaction was negative after the results, as investor expectations were elevated, due to a surge in shares this year. Hims' stock has more than doubled so far this year, while Denmark-listed shares of Novo have fallen over 50%. The brokerage called the softness in Hims' core business, which includes treatments for conditions related to sexual health, a negative surprise. Hims & Hers reported a decline in its subscribers for its sexual health business, which sells generic drugs for erectile dysfunction. Canaccord Genuity echoed a near-term caution for the company, but remained constructive on the longer-term growth potential, citing strong year-over-year gains in newer specialties such as dermatology, weight management, and daily-use sexual health solutions. Despite the stock's sharp post-earnings pullback, the brokerage called the move a potential buying opportunity. Hims shares are priced at 95.85 times the company's estimated earnings for the next 12 months, a common benchmark for valuing stocks.
