1 in 10 patients taking Wegovy and Ozempic lose less than 5 per cent of body weight despite high expectations

Trials reveal that one in ten people using Wegovy and Ozempic fat injections are ‘non-responders’ who are unable to lose significant amounts of weight.

An estimated one in 50 adults in the UK uses fat grafting, and demand has been growing rapidly since 2023, when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) approved Wegovy for weight loss on the NHS.

The approval was based on clinical studies showing a 15 to 20 percent weight reduction.

The drugs have been hailed as a ‘game changer’ for helping people lose weight where traditional diets haven’t worked, leading to shortages in pharmacies and a rise in the number of illegal online prescribers.

But for some, the injections failed to prove the miracle they had hoped for.

When Samantha Jess was prescribed Ozempic to treat diabetes in 2020, she was told it would suppress “eating noise” and she could lose 10 per cent of her 16-stone body weight.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, the doctors gave me a helping hand,'” he said. Sunday Times.

‘I thought Ozempic would do something magical.’

But eight months later, Jess, 52, had lost no weight despite injecting herself with the GLP-1 drug once a week.

‘Nothing was happening, I was still 16 stone. “I was actually gaining weight,” he says.

‘I still wanted to eat. It didn’t eliminate the dining noise, I’d still order takeout and think: “I’m at Ozempic, how is this possible?:’

Jess believes she is someone who scientists classify as a “non-responder,” whose brain and body do not respond to semaglutide, the active ingredient found in Wegovy and Ozempic.

Treatments such as Wegovy and Ozempic mimic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a natural hormone produced in the gut that regulates blood sugar and appetite.

This substance, secreted after a meal, acts on the brain, awakening the feeling of fullness and reducing hunger.

Obesity researcher Professor Lora Heisler, from the University of Aberdeen, said: ‘Obesity is not a single disease and is not caused by one thing, it is a mixture of different biological mechanisms.

‘GLP-1-based drugs only target one of these mechanisms, so they may work extremely well in many people, but not in everyone.’

Dr., an expert in weight management research at the University of Cambridge. Marie Spreckley believes there is ‘a spectrum of answers’.

A less talked about finding from clinical studies is that one in ten people like Jess lose less than 5 percent of their body weight.

Some scientists believe that weight loss is influenced by ‘metabolic defence’.

This refers to the body’s natural survival response when caloric intake is reduced; This limits the amount of weight lost by preserving energy stores and reducing energy expenditure.

Professor Heisler said this was mostly down to genetics, adding: ‘We are all built differently and some people have stronger metabolic and protective mechanisms than others.’

In July last year, after years of expensive exercise plans and occasional diets, Niamh Shackleton, 29, used the online private prescription service to start treatment with Wegovy.

Niamh, who is 1.70 meters tall and wears a size 14 dress, says she meets the BMI criteria.

She had always been ‘very conscious’ of her weight and started with a low dose injection once a week, gradually increasing to 2.4mg.

‘I remember telling my friends not to worry, that I wouldn’t make myself too skinny,’ she said.

‘I thought the weight would come off very quickly and that I would have to be careful not to overdo it, but that didn’t actually happen.’

Niamh lost nearly a stone over the course of five months.

‘I thought I was going to lose twice that much,’ he says.

‘I thought as soon as I started taking the injections the weight would start to come off.’

He says the medication has helped suppress his appetite, especially his sweet tooth, but his diet hasn’t changed much.

He was also recovering from a knee injury, so he didn’t keep up his exercise routine.

‘I was a bit naive to be honest. “They always say it’s not about perfection, it’s about consistency, so I was hoping the odd pizza and wine nights wouldn’t hurt my progress,” he added.

Inconsistency in taking any medication will reduce the effectiveness of the medication, and GLP-1 medications are no different. Some people experience stronger side effects, such as nausea and abdominal pain, making them more likely to skip doses.

Dr Spreckley says the touting of weight loss shots as a miracle cure means the likes of Ozempic and Wegovy are seen as a magic bullet and ‘de-medicalised’.

However, he warned: ‘GLP-1 receptors are only an aid to dieting; They make it easier to stick to the diet, but the general rules of eating protein and participating in resistance training still apply. ‘This isn’t magic.’