Scientists hope weight-loss drugs could treat addiction and dementia
GuardianAug 21, 2023
The Facts
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug semaglutide — sold as Wegovy — may benefit patients living with heart disease.
The randomized controlled trial included 529 assigned patients who had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity. Half of the subjects received a once-weekly 2.4 mg jab of semaglutide for a year, while the other half was given a placebo treatment.
The Spin
Narrative A
Semaglutide, the active substance in Wegovy, has already been approved to treat weight loss and type 2 diabetes — and new research shows that this drug holds promise in a wide array of diseases, ranging from cardiovascular events to dementia. As an analog of the naturally-produced GLP-1 hormone, there are many logical reasons behind its potential benefits.
Narrative B
Echoing Big Pharma propaganda under the guise of news reporting, legacy media has praised semaglutide — which has a long and growing list of risks — as a miracle with such effectiveness that people with diabetes who rely on it can't access the drug. It's illogical to believe that one can artificially manipulate hormone levels without adverse side effects — common sense and prudence are crucial to calculating risks and benefits.
Nerd narrative
There's a 21% chance that the US Food and Drug Admin. or the European Medicines Agency will withdraw approval of Semaglutide for the treatment of obesity by 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.