If you have struggled with excess weight for many years, you would probably like to find the most effective medicine for weight loss. Recently, on the market, there appeared Wegovy, an injectable that has managed to establish itself as a reliable, effective and safe medicine. The TGA approved it specifically for weight loss. The active ingredient of Wegovy is semaglutide.
But there are other semaglutide-containing drugs, such as Rybelsus. Does it mean you can also use the medication in obesity therapy? Let’s figure it out.
The main difference between the drugs is the active substance’s dosage and its administration route.
| Wegovy | Rybelsus | |
| Active ingredient | semaglutide | semaglutide |
| Maintenance dosage | 2.4 mg | 7 mg, which may be increased to 14 mg |
| Dosage form | Injection solution | Tablets |
| Dosing regimen | Weekly | Daily |
| Administration route | Injection | Orally |
| Use | Weight control | Glycemic control |
People with type 2 diabetes use Rybelsus to control blood sugar levels. During the treatment, you can lose weight as a side effect. Rybelsus reduces appetite, leading to decreased food consumption and weight loss. But can you use this drug only for weight loss?
According to some data, for 6 months of using Rybelsus at a dosage of 14 mg, you can lose an average of up to 4 kg, and when using a dosage of 7 mg, you can get rid of 3 kg of excess weight. People weighing more than 80 kg reported these results. Increased levels of exercise and dietary changes accompanied weight loss.
But despite the drug’s effectiveness for weight loss, the TGA did not approve it for treating obesity. You can only take this medicine if you have type 2 diabetes for glycemic control and only after consulting your doctor.
Wegovy vs Ozempic vs Rybelsus: similarities and differences
Ozempic is another drug based on semaglutide. Just like Wegovy, it is an injection drug, but they use it to treat type 2 diabetes and its possible complications. Doctors prescribe Ozempic separately and in combination with other hypoglycemic drugs or insulin. You inject it once a week, and the maximum therapeutic dosage is 1 mg.
After injection, the drug causes a feeling of satiety, leading to decreased food intake. If therapy lasts several months, this result can lead to weight loss. But if you do not have diabetes, you cannot take the drug. As a result, Wegovy appeared with the maximum semaglutide dosage of 2.4 mg. So, people without diabetes can use neither Ozempic nor Rybelsus.
| Wegovy | Ozempic | Rybelsus |
Active ingredient | semaglutide | semaglutide | semaglutide |
Administration route | Injection | Injection | Tablets |
Therapeutic dosage | 2.4 mg | 1 mg | 7 mg, with the possibility of increasing to 14 mg |
Use | Weight control | Glycemic control | Glycemic control |
Although the drugs contain the same active substance, they have different prescriptions. For weight loss, only Wegovy is approved, while only people with diabetes can use Ozempic or Rybelsus, although the medications also reduce appetite and help lose weight.
Conclusion
Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus contain semaglutide and can help you lose weight with long-term treatment. But the TGA approved only Wegovy for weight loss. And the other two drugs are for treating type 2 diabetes, and people without this disease cannot use them.
If you want to get rid of extra kilograms, choose a drug approved for this purpose. Otherwise, you may experience unpleasant and dangerous side effects. Before taking any of these medicines, consult a doctor.
