On the rebound: What are the long-term risks of Ozempic?

While GLP-1 drugs can be game-changing for those who want to shed weight, there are always a certain number of ‘non-responders'. Some people lose 40% of their body weight on the drug, but then one in 10 people don’t lose any weight at all.

Consultant endocrinologist at Galway University Hospital Francis Finucane has long been frustrated by the limited and sometimes intermittent access to semaglutide — the blockbuster drug better known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.

As a consultant endocrinologist at Galway University Hospital who runs a publicly funded obesity clinic, Francis Finucane has long been frustrated by the limited and sometimes intermittent access to semaglutide — the blockbuster drug better known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.

“At the moment, they’re only funded for patients with type 2 diabetes or patients with pre- diabetes and accompanying cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure or high cholesterol, which aren’t well controlled,” says Finucane.