09/01/2024 – 12:00
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of the drug Ozempic, has launched a drug called Wegovy, which is aimed at treating obesity, on the Brazilian market. However, the substance is the same as the drug used for diabetes, but in different doses. So why the name change?
According to the company’s general manager in Brazil, Isabella Vianna Wanderley, the difference in name was a global decision to facilitate reimbursement situations for health plans and even governments in countries where the product needs to have a specific leaflet.
+ Ozempic in Brazil’s public network ‘may be a matter of time’, says Novo Nordisk
“You have more specific contracts in some countries,” explains Wanderlley. “Here, you wouldn’t need to have them.”
She jokes that, in the country, the medicine could be called Ozempic 2.0.
Differences between Wegovy and Ozempic
The two drugs are made from the same substance: Semaglutide. While the diabetes drug Ozempic is sold in doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg, the new Wegovy has the same three initial doses plus two more of 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg.
Treatment with drugs is similar: doses must be increased progressively. Medical supervision is necessary, especially because treatment must be accompanied by changes in diet and lifestyle habits to ensure that both diabetes in the case of Ozempic and obesity in the case of Wegovy are combated.
Ozempic is indicated for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes, accompanied by diet and exercise. Wegovy is prescribed for weight loss and maintenance, and should also accompany a low-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
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