Semaglutide is a substance similar to the hormone GLP-1 produced by our body, which acts by stimulating insulin secretion, suppressing the secretion of glucagon, slowing gastric emptying, improving insulin sensitivity and acting to reduce the consumption of foods.
This substance is a component of drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes as well as weight control. Recently, Anvisa approved Wegovy®, an injectable drug to treat overweight and obesity which must be used subcutaneously and which presents semaglutide as an active substance.
Read too: What is the difference between medicine and medication?
Semaglutide summary
Semaglutide has 94% homology to human GLP-1.
O hormone GLP-1 acts by stimulating the secretion of insulin, suppressing glucagon secretion, slowing gastric emptying, improving insulin sensitivity and acting to reduce food consumption.
Initially, semaglutide was approved in the Brazil only for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
The use of semaglutide for weight loss purposes was already being carried out, but as the package leaflet of the drugs did not present this indication, there is talk of indication
off label.In 2023, semaglutide was released by Anvisa for body weight control.
What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide is a substance that has recently gained the news for being the active substance of a new drug to treat obesity and overweight which was approved in Brazil. This substance, however, is not new and was already used for the treatment of diabetes type 2, being considered, therefore, an antidiabetic.
It is a substance classified, according to Anvisa, as a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP1 AR) and has 94% homology to human GLP-1. GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) is a hormone that acts by stimulating insulin secretion, suppressing glucagon, in addition to slowing gastric emptying, improving insulin sensitivity and acting to reduce the consumption of foods.
What is the indication for semaglutide?
→ antidiabetic
Semaglutide is already known in Brazil for being the active ingredient of the drug known as Ozempic®. This drug is used in combination with diet It is exercises, in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, helping to control levels of glucose at the blood of the individual. The medicine, which can be used alone or with other medicines for diabetes, works by stimulating the insulin secretion and reducing the secretion of the hormone glucagon, only when blood glucose is elevated. Contrary to what some people might think, it is not a type of insulin.
Just like any medicine, the use of Ozempic® can cause side effects. Some of the reactions considered very common and reported in the leaflet are the feeling of nausea and the diarrhea, symptoms that usually disappear over time. Other side effects of the medicine are:
vomit;
hypoglycemia;
indigestion;
gastritis;
reflux or heartburn;
pain in the abdomen;
swelling of the abdomen;
cold;
belching;
gallstones;
feeling of dizziness;
feeling tired;
weight loss;
loss of appetite;
gases;
increase of enzymes pancreatic.
As serious side effects, we can mention the complication of eye diabetes, acute pancreatitis and reactions allergic serious.
Another drug is Rybelsus®, which also features semaglutide as an active substance, used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Rybelsus® differs from Ozempic® because it comes in the form of pill, being its use, therefore, oral.
Rybelsus® and Ozempic® are drugs that are still recognized for their benefits in the treatment of obesity, but this indication is not on the package insert. Use in these cases is indicated off label, that is, the use is made without following the approved indications for that product.
→ Weight control
Recently, in 2023, semaglutide had its use approved by Anvisa for the purpose of weight control. The medicine called Wegovy® is an injectable solution that is applied with the help of a kind of pen and must be used subcutaneously.
According to Anvisa, the drug is
indicated as an adjunct to a hypocaloric diet and increased physical exercise for weight control, including weight loss and maintenance, in adults with Baseline Body Mass Index (BMI) of: ≥ 30 kg/m2 (obese), or ≥ 27 kg/m2 to < 30 kg/m2 (overweight) in the presence of at least one comorbidity weight-related e.g. dysglycaemia (pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus), hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea or cardiovascular.
Image credit:
[1] Shutterstock/ myskin
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher