The amount of people using the diabetes medication Ozempic for weight loss led to the manufacturers launching a similar drug to ease supply problems for diabetics.
Manufactures Novo Nordisk fast-tracked the release of Wegovy due to the lack of availability of Ozempic, which was creating problems for diabetics who needed the medication.
Both Wegovy and Ozempic use the key ingredient semaglutide, a peptide that mimics the GLP-1 hormone released after eating to give an indication of satiety and reduce appetite.
Although licensed for diabetes, a sharp rise in use of Ozempic for its weight loss properties left those with diabetes struggling to access medication in 2022 and 2023.
It is important we give the opportunity for obese patients to have semaglutide treatment and we've seen huge increase in demand in this region
Mads Bo Larsen,
vice president and general manager of Novo Nordisk UAE
Since then, the Danish company fast-tracked Wegovy, a similar drug now licensed for weight loss in nine countries.
Mads Bo Larsen, vice president and general manager of Novo Nordisk UAE, said Wegovy was launched in the UAE because of concerns over the off-label use of Ozempic, with doctors prescribing medication for reasons other than their licensed approval.
“This is why we have introduced Wegovy [in the UAE] because this is specifically for obesity, and Ozempic is for diabetes,” Mr Larsen told The National.
“That's the way we want to position it and to make sure that at least the diabetes patient can get their GLP-1 treatment.
“But it is important we give the opportunity for obese patients to have semaglutide treatment and we've seen huge increase in demand in this region.”
Wegovy is currently available for weight loss in Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, the US, UK and the UAE.
It has been billed as a potential solution to a global obesity crisis that the World Health Organisation now says affects one in eight people.
“We have not been able to supply sufficiently, with big problems in 2023 and also at the end of 2022,” said Mr Larsen.
“That has made it difficult for us to say how much is being used off label and how much is being used for diabetes.
“It has been a problem that diabetes patients have not been able to find product in the pharmacy.
“That hurts when you are a pharmaceutical company that is providing treatments for chronic diseases.
“When patients who have a prescription, even through insurance, cannot get Ozempic, that is painful to see and why we introduced Wegovy here.
“Hopefully it can relieve some of that burden on supply.
“Once you introduce a new product, if you are the only one, of course, prices are at a certain level.
"But over time, price will always go down. That's the way it is."
Soaring demand
High demand for the drugs has led to a sharp increase in company profit.
In 2021, Novo Nordisk had a market capitalisation of $171 billion, whereas only three years later it is nearing $600 billion.
In the first quarter of this year, operating profits increased by 30 per cent to $4.6 billion, although prices for Ozempic and Wegovy vary across the world.
Prohibitive costs for the weekly injection prevent many with obesity from accessing the game-changing drugs that can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer that comes with being overweight.
In the UAE, the drugs cost about Dh1,200 ($326) a month.
According to industry analysts KFF, Ozempic costs about five times as much in the US ($963) as in Japan ($169), with Wegovy four times as expensive in the US ($1,349) as in Germany ($328).
Dr Hazem Aly, clinical, medical and regulatory director at Novo Nordisk, said prices are unlikely to come down any time soon, despite other pharmaceutical companies entering the market with similar products.
“The standard practice for pharmaceutical industry is not the same for each and every country, so prices will vary,” said Dr Aly.
“It also depends on the negotiations with the local authorities.
“We cannot have one price fits all for all the countries.
"The beauty about this kind of therapy is that each and every company is trying to bring the best innovation for their patients.
“Even if it is competition for us, it is very good thing for the sake of the patient.”
Novo Nordisk is investing heavily in treatment for diabetes, a condition that affects about 17 per cent of the UAE population, with those numbers expected to double by 2045, the International Diabetes Federation has said.
Continuing research by the company is looking at developing glucose sensitive insulin to minimise the risk of hypoglycaemia, causing blood sugar levels to drop, and thermostable insulins which do not require cold storage.
Marcus Schindler, executive vice president of research and early development, and chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, said the next big development could be amylin, a similar peptide hormone to GLP1, that can control blood sugar levels.
Novel diabetes drugs
Research is under way to see how amylin and insulin can combine in a single injection to give diabetes patients more control over their condition.
“We've seen both preclinical, but also early clinical data, that makes us really confident that this could be the next big thing,” said Dr Schindler.
“It's released from the beta cell, actually in the pancreas.
“So we now have two mechanisms that are appearing naturally, GLP1 and amylin.
“We're making them better and fit for purpose to potentially give treatments.
“What is interesting for us about peptides is that they're very potent because nature invented them, so safety is not as much of an issue as we see with small molecules.”
Results
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Spirit Of Light, Clement Lecoeuvre (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer)
6.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner Bright Start, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
6.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner Twelfthofneverland, Nathan Crosse, Satish Seemar
7.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Imperial Empire, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
7.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Winner Record Man, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Celtic Prince, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Cherry
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo
1/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Alisson%2C%20Ederson%2C%20Weverton%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Dani%20Alves%2C%20Marquinhos%2C%20Thiago%20Silva%2C%20Eder%20Militao%20%2C%20Danilo%2C%20Alex%20Sandro%2C%20Alex%20Telles%2C%20Bremer.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Casemiro%2C%20Fred%2C%20Fabinho%2C%20Bruno%20Guimaraes%2C%20Lucas%20Paqueta%2C%20Everton%20Ribeiro.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Neymar%2C%20Vinicius%20Junior%2C%20Richarlison%2C%20Raphinha%2C%20Antony%2C%20Gabriel%20Jesus%2C%20Gabriel%20Martinelli%2C%20Pedro%2C%20Rodrygo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Listen to Extra Time
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0