Ozempic

The worldwide rise of semaglutide—a marketed formulation under different names, most notably Ozempic—is occurring rapidly and in various ways. Since its initial approval for type 2 diabetes, Semaglutide has quickly adapted to drive changes in personal health behaviours, market dynamics, and healthcare policy priorities. The drug operates through a complex mechanism that alters the body’s appetite and metabolism, leading to the transformation. As a result, there is a widening divergence between its regulatory objective and a growing use as a weight loss tool.   The disconnect is not just clinical but a systemic coming together of prevalent cultural norms, insurance structures, pharmaceutical supply chains and global consumer trends. The increasing use of Semaglutide across different social classes and countries gives rise to important political economy challenges regarding the price of the therapy, access to it and the sustainability of national health systems.   This analysis examines semaglutide’s disruptive evolution from a drug invention to a global public health tool. The analysis focuses on the situation in the United States (U.S.), but it also examines future possibilities where affordability and scale could make the drug essential in combating obesity and metabolic disease.