How weight-loss wonder drugs are redefining the way our bodies work

New class of appetite-suppressing drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have transformed obesity treatment into the most scientifically exciting and commercially lucrative area of healthcare.

Novo Nordisk’s drug semaglutide (the active ingredient) has a dramatic effect on weight.

The drug works by mimicking a hormone, GLP-1 , which is released in the gut when we eat and acts on receptors around the body.

GLP-1 drugs have been used for almost 20 years , but 95% of patients do not regain weight when they stop taking them.

Anita

, 41 , who started on Mounjaro in April 2024 and continued taking the medication until December , fell from 87kg ( 13.7st ) to 70kg .

Anita came off the jabs as the 225 monthly cost was proving too expensive.

Three weeks into January her appetite and appetite returned and she put 7kg back on within two months .

Critics of weight-loss drugs tend to view them as medicalising a problem that would be better solved by policies to tackle the underlying causes of the obesity crisis.

Prof Naveed Sattar , of the University of Glasgow , says there is no sign of high-calorie foods becoming less ubiquitous.