What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a medication that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2021 for weight loss. It is combined with a low-calorie diet and exercise program to help people lose weight. 

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 agonist that works by increasing insulin release, decreasing glucagon release, delaying gastric emptying, and reducing appetite. Semaglutide is not suitable for people with type 1 diabetes.

Semaglutide information

Name: Semaglutide

CAS No.: 910463-68-2

Peptide Sequence: His-Aib-Glu-Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Asp-Val-Ser-Ser-Tyr-Leu-Glu-Gly-Gln-Ala-Ala-Lys(AEEA-AEEA-Glu-17-carboxyheptadecanoyl)-Glu-Phe-Ile-Ala-Trp-Leu-Val-Arg-Gly-Arg-Gly-OH

Molecular Formula: C187H291N45O59

Molecular Weight: 4113.64

Appearance: White Lyophilized powder

Synonyms: Semaglutide, Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus

High Quality Sermaglutide Powder Semaglutide CAS 910463-68-2

How does Semaglutide work for weight loss?

There is substantial scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of semaglutide as a weight loss drug. Some of the studies conducted prior to the recent FDA approval of weight management include:

A long-term randomized double-blind trial in the mid-2010s found significant weight loss with semaglutide. This weight loss was compared not only to the placebo group, but also to liraglutide, another substance in the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. Semaglutide works by mimicking the action of the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). When you eat, GLP-1 is released in the gut, which tells your brain that you're full. It also slows the movement of food through your stomach and small intestine, helping you feel fuller longer. As a result, you may eat less food, leading to weight loss.

GLP-1 also triggers the release of insulin, which lowers your blood sugar and helps your cells use the glucose from the food you eat. Any glucose your cells don't use is stored as fat, which is why high blood sugar can lead to weight gain.

How much weight can you lose on Semaglutide?

The researchers investigated the effectiveness of weekly injections of semaglutide as a weight loss aid. Most participants lost at least 10 percent of their body weight, and more than half lost 15 percent.

The trial included nearly 2,000 adults with a BMI of 30 and above. The participants did not have diabetes, which the researchers assert indicates that semaglutide benefits people's weight loss regardless of whether they have diabetes.

In addition, participants who took semaglutide had improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart disease risk.

Semaglutide was approved in June 2021 for the treatment of people with a body mass index in the obese range or just below that range but with weight-related health problems. A study involving 1,961 such individuals, published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that those taking semaglutide lost an average of 14.9 percent of their initial body weight over 68 weeks, compared with one who received a placebo injection. The group only lost 2.4%. Such results are about double those of older diet pills, said Northwestern University's Robert Kushner, one of the study's principal investigators. Evidence from the trial showed that with weight loss, blood pressure, blood sugar and unhealthy lipids, as well as C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation, also decreased.

Semaglutide works by hijacking the body's own appetite-regulating system in the brain, thereby reducing hunger.

The history of Semaglutide

Semaglutide was developed in 2012 by a team of researchers at Novo Nordisk as a long-acting alternative to liraglutide as a once-weekly diabetes treatment. Its brand name is Ozempic. The clinical trial began on January 6, 2016 and was completed on May 19, 2017.

It could also be used to treat obesity, researchers at the University of Leeds and Novo Nordisk reported in 2017. It reduces hunger, food cravings and body fat. A phase 3 randomized controlled trial found that weekly injections of 2.4 mg of the drug resulted in a mean change in body weight at 68 weeks of -14.9% compared with -2.4% for placebo.

The medication generating the most excitement is a weekly injectable drug called semaglutide (brand name: Wegovy). It was approved in June 2021 for treating people with a body mass index in the obese range or just under that range but with weight-related health issues.