Jimmy Kimmel jokes about weight loss drug 'Ozempic' at Oscars 2023. What is it and what are the side effect?

Oscars 2023 comes to an end, however, drugs and medicines were also mentioned along with awards and applauses. Jimmy Kimmel the award show presenter sparked some amusement in viewers after joking about the rumoured diabetic drug Ozempic. Kimmel said, "Everybody looks so great. When I look around this room, I can’t help but wonder ‘Is Ozempic right for me?’” This comes as Kimmel during his opening monologue, where spoke about the use of the objectionable prescription drug that is used to lose weight. This comes as Kimmel during his opening monologue, where he spoke about the use of the objectionable prescription drug that is used to lose weight by Hollywood A-listers. The fact that this reference was made in a good, as per experts does not have good side effects, meaning a serious conversation is required. Now let's see what exactly the drug is, what is its function, what the experts' advice on the medicine and most importantly what are its side effects:

What is Ozempic and what does it do?

Ozempic or semaglutide is a once-weekly injectable drug that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved butfor only adults with type 2 diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. It is only used by patients who have heart and blood vessel disease to reduce the risk of a stroke, heart attack or death. The drug was found to have given remarkable results in weight loss.

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The drug has been connected to weight loss due to semaglutide present in it, which is FDA-approved for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy, but the Ozempic brand of semaglutide is not FDA-approved yet.

The medicine is currently not available in India. However, as per medical experts, with rising obesity statistics almost 9.5 per cent of all men and 13.9 per cent of all women will be obese by the year 2040 in India.

As per Indian Express, in a study participants lost around 15 per cent of their body weight, with some even losing up to 20 per cent, which is uncommon for any drug to do or even in case of surgeries.

Experts' advice for medicine on weight loss:

Experts have advised people to not take the medicine as their first choice for treatment for obesity and all, even when it is available in India.

The medicine is expected to cost almost Rs 8,000 to 9,000 ($97-$100) a month.

Dr Misra as quoted by Indian Express said that the medicine should be prescribed to people of these three categories: people who are obese and have some sort of dysfunction because of their weight, second to people who are obese but aren't able to lose weight the traditional way and third for those who are obese with uncontrolled diabetes despite taking medicines. But all of this should be prescribed by a doctor or else it can cause major health harm.

However, Dr Misra also mentioned that one will gain some of the weight back once he or she stops taking the medicine. He added that irrespective of what method one chooses to lose weight including surgery, some weight initially comes back.

What are the side effects?

Some side effects of the drug include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and burping.

While these are some light effects, many can witness major or severe side effects such as vision changes, fainting or dizziness and ongoing pain that begins in the left or right stomach but can later spread to the back with vomiting, rashes, itchiness and swelling of face, eyes, tongue and other body parts.