Margaret McCartney , general practitioner Glasgow mgtmmccartney{at}gmail.comWhen drug semaglutide gained NICE approval for weight loss last week, the press response was largely positive. But the excitement is justified.”3The approval last week of the Novo Nordisk drug semaglutide (Wegovy) for weight loss by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence4 led to a slew of positive headlines. Already available on the NHS for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, semaglutide is now recommended by NICE recommended for weight loss alone in England and Wales (as a different brand and dose). A glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that reduces appetite, semaglutide is not intended to be prescribed by general practice but by specialist NHS weight management services for people at high risk of complications of obesity. NICE’s recommendation lands in a febrile social media landscape.

Source: The Guardian March 17, 2023 15:52 UTC