Recently, oral semaglutide tablets were approved by the National Medical Products Administration for full marketing in China. This is the first and only oral GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) drug approved for marketing in China. The reporter learned in the interview that the number of patients who went to the hospital to consult about this oral semaglutide has increased recently, and some of them hope to lose weight with this drug. So what exactly is semaglutide tablets used to treat, and what is its relationship with the weight loss "magic drug" that has been frequently mentioned on social media before?

Semaglutide is a class of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Its working principle is to stimulate insulin synthesis and secretion in a glucose concentration-dependent manner after binding to the GLP-1 receptor, and reduce the secretion of glucagon. At the same time, it can also act on the GLP-1 receptors of the central nervous system, suppress appetite, reduce food intake, slow down the speed of food from the stomach to the small intestine, and increase satiety, thereby achieving the effect of lowering blood sugar and losing weight.

It is understood that there are three "versions" of semaglutide, namely oral hypoglycemic semaglutide tablets (Novoxin), weight loss version semaglutide injection (Novoying) and hypoglycemic version semaglutide injection (Novotai). It should be noted that the indication of semaglutide tablets approved in China this time is the treatment of type 2 diabetes, not weight loss treatment, which means that Novoxin is not the oral version of the "weight loss injection" Novoying.

Searching the National Drug Administration's Drug Clinical Trial Registration and Information Disclosure Platform, it can be seen that the weight loss indication of oral semaglutide is still in the Phase III clinical stage. So far, oral semaglutide has not been approved for weight loss indications in any country or region. In addition, even the weight loss version of semaglutide is a prescription drug, and patients need to undergo strict diagnostic evaluation when they visit the doctor before they can be approved for medication.

"In foreign countries, semaglutide is only used for weight loss in people with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 and at least one weight-related disease (such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol), or people with a BMI ≥ 30 (no weight-related disease is required)." Zhang Shuo, an endocrinologist at Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, believes that due to the excessive publicity and hype on the Internet, many people with normal BMI also want to use this shortcut to make themselves thinner, resulting in the abuse of the drug.

"Both semaglutide injection and oral preparations have some side effects. The most common adverse reactions are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux disease and hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. People with digestive system diseases, a history of thyroid cancer or a family history are at risk of using this drug." Experts remind that semaglutide needs to be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor, and do not buy it online by yourself.

Source: https://finance.eastmoney.com/