The active drug in Wegovy is semaglutide. This is available to treat obesity in tablet form (Rybelsus) and as an injection (Wegovy). The problem is that the results with the tablet are currently not nearly as good as when semaglutide is injected.

Mounjaro (tirezepatide) is also self-administered at home once a week. We’ll provide you with all the equipment you need to do this, including ultra-fine needles and a sharps bin.

The injections are given just under the skin in the abdomen, arm or upper thigh. You don’t have to be a doctor or a nurse to do this.

Semaglutide has two main benefits. One is that it helps bring diabetes under control. The other is that it causes weight loss (especially at higher doses).

The manufacturers of semaglutide obtained two separate licenses, one for each kind of treatment. Semaglutide used to treat diabetes is branded Ozempic. However, when it is used under a license to treat obesity, it is branded Wegovy.

While both Ozempic and Wegovy contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, Ozempic is not available at the higher 1.7mg and 2.4mg doses. It’s these higher doses that have been shown to be most effective for weight loss.

At Our Online Clinic, Our experts made a conscious decision not to offer Ozempic for weight loss. We felt that to do this would be unethical profiteering. Predictably, the use of Ozempic for weight loss led to a shortage of the drug for patients who needed it to treat their diabetes.

No.

Wegovy is designed to mimic a single hormone in the body (GLP-1). Mounjaro does a dual job by mimicking two hormones (GLP-1 and GIP) that help with blood glucose levels and weight loss.

Despite their different approaches, both medications are administered once a week.

Wegovy was trialled in a major study that saw participants

• increase physical activity (150 minutes of walking each week)
• reduce food intake by 500 kcal a day
• and take Wegovy for a year.

On average, these participants lost 15% of their starting weight after 12 months.

In a similar trial, people who took Mounjaro saw weight loss of over 21%. However, Mounjaro was also associated with transient hair thinning and reduced efficacy of the contraceptive pill.

Remember, 15-21% weight loss was the average outcome (some lost more, and some less) using medication in combination with a closely monitored support programme.

This is why the 12-month SemaPen programme gives you a much better chance of success than just buying the injections without proper support.

Weight regain is common.

Clinical studies show that if Wegovy is taken for 12 months and then stopped, a year later people have regained two-thirds of the weight they’d lost on the treatment.

The implication of this is that because obesity is a chronic condition, Wegovy and Mounjaro will need to be taken long-term. In this way, they’re just like any other treatment for chronic conditions such as arthritis.

Towards the end of your tailored programme with us, we will discuss cost-effective solutions to continue on the medications and minimise weight regain.

Wegovy (semaglutide) is almost (94%) identical to GLP-1, a natural hormone that is released by the body after eating.

GLP-1 is one of several hormones that regulate food intake and appetite – the body’s way of stopping us from putting on too much weight.

In today’s fast-food, less physically active environment, it’s easy to see how this natural defence against obesity can be overwhelmed.

By mimicking the effect of GLP-1, Wegovy targets a specific region in the brain responsible for appetite control, reducing feelings of hunger. It also slows stomach emptying, which makes you feel full for longer – because you are full!

Furthermore, Wegovy has beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin levels, which also help control the desire to eat.

So, it’s no surprise that people taking Wegovy find it much easier to decrease their calorie intake by reducing portion size and eating less often.

Mounjaro works in a similar way to Wegovy.

Like Wegovy, Mounjaro also promotes the beneficial effects of GLP-1. However, it also promotes the action of a second hormone called GIP. This gives an extra boost to weight loss.

GIP also tends to counteract nausea, which is a common side effect of drugs that mimic GLP-1.