SEMAGLUTIDE.blog
Semaglutide changed how doctors treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. This site explains what the molecule is, what the big studies showed and where the limits of the evidence lie, in plain English with sources.
Semaglutide is sold as the prescription medicines Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. Powder sold as research-grade semaglutide is not one of those medicines, has no marketing authorisation and is meant for laboratory work. This site only informs.
Semaglutide is a man-made version of GLP-1, a hormone the intestine releases after we eat. Natural GLP-1 disappears from the blood within about two minutes. Chemists at Novo Nordisk changed the molecule so that a single dose keeps working for a whole week.
The first semaglutide medicine, Ozempic, was approved for type 2 diabetes in 2017. A daily tablet followed in 2019, and a higher-dose injection for weight management, Wegovy, in 2021. In the STEP 1 study, adults with obesity lost an average of 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks, compared with 2.4% on placebo.
Later studies looked beyond blood sugar and weight, at heart attacks and strokes, kidney disease, heart failure and fatty liver disease. Each topic on this site links to the original papers, so you can check the numbers yourself.
| Drug class | GLP-1 receptor agonist (incretin mimetic) |
|---|---|
| Structure | 31 amino acids, 94% identical to human GLP-1, with an 18-carbon fatty acid chain |
| Target | The GLP-1 receptor |
| Company | Novo Nordisk A/S (Bagsværd, Denmark) |
| Duration of action | Half-life of roughly one week in people |
| Medicines | Ozempic (weekly injection), Rybelsus (daily tablet), Wegovy (weekly injection for weight management) |
| Status | Available only on prescription in Europe, the UK, the US and most other countries |
Before You Read On
Nothing on Semaglutide.blog is medical advice, and it should not guide any decision about your own treatment. Research-grade semaglutide is a laboratory reagent. It is not intended for people and should never be used as a substitute for a prescribed medicine.
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