How do Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs work? | In Focus podcast 

In this episode, Dr V Mohan joins us to explain how injectable semaglutide works in the body, its role in weight loss, the regulations surrounding it in India and whether or not these drugs could potentially change the way diabetes and obesity are treated in the country.

Weight-loss drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have been making headlines across the world for weight loss; celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk have spoken about using them to quickly and drastically lose weight. First approved for diabetes treatment, these drugs, which consist of semaglutide – are available in tablet and injectable form. While the tablet form was approved for use in India last year, recent media reports indicate that at least one injectable semaglutide drug – Mounjaro – is undergoing a regulatory review in India currently and may be available by next year. 

So what do these drugs consist of and how do they work? What are the side effects you could have by taking them? Will they be a game-changer for India that has 10.13 crore people with diabetes and with nearly 50% of the population battling abdominal obesity? What are the prices of the drugs like? And what happens when you stop taking them? 

Guest: Dr V Mohan, chairman of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation 

Host: Zubeda Hamid 

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. 

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