PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the first time since 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug treatment for weight loss management.
The drug Ozempic has been used to treat type 2 diabetes for years. Doctors know it to be safe and effective. Now a stronger version called Wegovy is approved to help overweight patients shed pounds.
Dr. Tom Wadden, professor of psychology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was a lead researcher in one of the studies and says this is a big deal.
"This is potentially the breakthrough in weight management that health care providers and their patients with obesity have been waiting for," Wadden said. "This new medication helps people lose about 15% of their starting body weight. So, somebody who weighs 200 pounds is going to lose 30 pounds."
Wadden said the treatment will help patients lose weight and get a handle on related health problems.
"The larger the weight loss you can achieve, the greater the improvement in health complications, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or pain or impaired mobility."
It’s a weekly injection that could be used for life. It mimics a hormone that tells your brain you’re not hungry, and when you do eat, it signals that you’re full.