Say goodbye to injections! Is oral semaglutide better?

Recently, semaglutide, known as the "magic drug for lowering blood sugar and losing weight", has become popular all over the world. With the hot promotion of Internet celebrities, it has triggered a weight loss craze on social media around the world. In February 2021, semaglutide injection was officially approved for marketing in China. Due to the strong demand and the inability to keep up with the production capacity, some places even imposed purchase restrictions. On January 26 this year, good news came again. Oral semaglutide tablets were also approved for marketing in China. Everyone is looking forward to whether semaglutide tablets can bring better performance than semaglutide injection after saying goodbye to injections.

So what is the difference between meglutide tablets and meglutide injection?

Both oral and injectable semaglutide contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, but there are some differences in administration, ease of use, compliance, indications, etc.:

In summary:

According to current research, semaglutide oral tablets are comparable to injections in terms of effectiveness and safety. Oral tablets overcome the inconveniences caused by transportation, storage, and injection, improve patient compliance, and provide more medication options for patients who are afraid of injections.

Tips for safe medication use:

Currently, the semaglutide injection and oral tablets that have been approved for marketing in China are prescription drugs, and neither has been approved for weight loss indications in my country. However, abuse is widespread today, and many people buy them online or through unknown channels for weight loss, which is considered off-label use and carries a great risk of drug use.

Although semaglutide has significant and definite effects in controlling sugar and losing weight, any drug may have side effects or adverse reactions. The most common adverse events are gastrointestinal diseases, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation, as well as headaches, fatigue, etc. It also includes risk warnings for pancreatic inflammation, gallstones, acute kidney injury, diabetic retinopathy, increased heart rate, hypersensitivity reactions and suicidal impulses.

In addition, laboratory animal studies suggest that it is associated with thyroid tumors, but the risk to humans is currently unclear. Moreover, according to feedback after taking the drug, many people's weight usually rebounds to varying degrees after stopping semaglutide. Therefore, we should not blindly follow the trend of weight loss medication. Before using any drug, we should consult a professional doctor or pharmacist to understand our physical condition and adaptability, and follow the doctor's advice and use the drug reasonably.

Written by: Lu Zhijin

[References]

1. U.S. FDA drug instructions for semaglutide

2. China FDA drug instructions for semaglutide

3.https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014

4.https://www.uptodate.com/contents/semaglutide-patient-drug-information

5.https://www.uptodate.com/contents/semaglutide-drug-information