Australia\u2019s first GLP-1 pill for weight loss has been approved for sale, meaning patients will be able to swap weekly injections for a daily tablet.<\/p>\n
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy tablets and they are set to be available by Christmas.<\/p>\n
What does it mean?<\/p>\n
The decision will likely mean the drug is more accessible and affordable, although not all the details are clear yet.<\/p>\n
The TGA has approved various strengths of the pills (from 1.5mg to 25mg) \u201cas an adjunct to a reduced-energy diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management (including weight loss and weight maintenance)\u201d.<\/p>\n
The dose starts low then escalates over 16 weeks, unless there are serious side-effects.<\/p>\n
It is also approved to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.<\/p>\n
The pill will be a daily instead of weekly dose of semaglutide, which is currently injected into the abdomen, thigh or upper arm. The injection requires refrigeration and extra equipment, such as swabs and a sharps container.<\/p>\n
However, the pills are not entirely convenient. Patients must fast for eight hours before taking them with water, before avoiding food and drink for another 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
Who is eligible?<\/p>\n
Adults who are obese \u2013 with a body mass index (BMI)<\/a> of 30 or higher \u2013 or overweight with a BMI of 27 to 30 with at least one \u201cweight-related comorbidity\u201d will be eligible.<\/p>\n The obesity medicine expert Dr Brendan Hanrahan, from Brisbane\u2019s Wesley hospital, says there is a large range of those weight-related conditions, from knee osteoarthritis to fatty liver, and that he welcomes better access to the drugs that \u201chave lived up to and exceeded the hype\u201d.<\/p>\n He does question the use of BMI cutoffs, though, as scientists have long seen it as an inadequate measurement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Waist circumference, where men are considered at risk if they are over 94cm and women if they are over 80cm, is a better measurement, he says. But there could still be \u201coutliers\u201d.<\/p>\n For example, an individual may have a joint condition exacerbated by any excess weight, even if their BMI and waist circumference are within the healthy range, while those outside the \u201chealthy\u201d range could still be healthy.<\/p>\n What are the risks?<\/p>\n As with many medications, there are a range of potential side-effects.<\/p>\n The TGA warns of stomach issues, which can cause dehydration. This, in turn, can cause renal failure. It also warns of the potential for acute pancreatitis and diabetic retinopathy.<\/p>\n Novo Nordisk lists potential gastrointestinal issues, including nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation, along with headache, fatigue, dizziness and more.<\/p>\n In rodent studies, Wegovy has been linked to thyroid tumours, including cancer.<\/p>\n There have also long been concerns that the existence of weight-loss drugs on the market can exacerbate eating disorders more broadly \u2013 including for people not on the medications<\/a>. The TGA also says there have been reports of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviours with GLP-1s.<\/p>\n There are also a range of concerns<\/a> about GLP-1 interactions with other medications and pregnancy. Meanwhile, doctors have reported some people hiding their use of the drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n What don\u2019t we know?<\/p>\n We don\u2019t know yet how much the pills will cost, but it\u2019s worth noting that the injectable version is not subsidised by the government (except for those with type 2 diabetes) so people pay privately, which can be thousands of dollars a year.<\/p>\n Although the government has indicated in the past that they should be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as a weight-loss drug, it has struggled to agree with the manufacturers on the cost.<\/p>\n The endocrinologist John Wentworth told the ABC that TGA approval would lead to the drug being cheaper and more accessible.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the price comes down, we will be treating these just as we treat a blood pressure or a cholesterol medication because they have such powerful benefits to keep us well for longer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s first GLP-1 pill for weight loss has been approved for sale, meaning patients will be able to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[103,61,60,371],"class_list":["post-674548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-medication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}