(NEWSnet) — Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have a reputation as a game-changing weight loss drugs.

They are different and more successful than previous alternatives on the market but they do come with their own challenges.

Touted by influencers, the medication has strong results to help people lose weight.

In fact, about a third of people on the drug can lose 10% of their body weight. With those battling chronic obesity that can be a game changer. But it comes with significant side effects including potentially debilitating vomiting, constipation and diarrhea.

Not only that but the weight loss effects could go away quickly if you get off the drug.

The Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics found that the majority of people who stopped the drug gained the weight back within a year's time. 

The cost can be astronomical at up to $1,000 or more a vile. That’s because the chemical compound semaglutide is only approved to treat diabetes, which means that doctors prescribe the medication off-label.

Hence why it is not really covered by insurance.

A number of doctors got around that by going through what are called compound pharmacies. Those facilities made cheaper generic versions of the drug but Novo Nordisk sued a number of them in five states in efforts to stop it.

According to the Washington Post, prescriptions are up substantially with 140% for Ozempic and 297& for Wegovy. The company is also looking to expand the drug to also be available in pill form.

Other drug makers took note and moved forward with their own alternatives including Pfizer.

The drug maker pulled the plug on development in mid-stage clinical trials because participants had elevated liver enzymes.  That’s a blow especially because across to its own forecasting, the marketplace could be worth $90 billion by the decade.

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