Should you’re on a weight reduction journey, you now have an arsenal of medicines at your disposal. And whereas injectable drugs have dominated the house for years, GLP-1 weight reduction tablets are actually on the desk. As of this week, you have got your alternative of two: Wegovy (semaglutide) or Foundayo (orforglipron).
If you understand you need to attempt a weight reduction treatment, however can’t get behind the thought of sticking your self with a needle, it is sensible to slender the sphere to those two choices. How are you going to make a alternative? It’s essential to know the ins and outs of every earlier than making a call with the assistance of a healthcare skilled. Right here’s how medical doctors suggest navigating this.
What’s the Wegovy capsule?
The Wegovy capsule, which is made by Novo Nordisk, is an FDA-approved oral semaglutide treatment for adults with chubby or weight problems. It’s the sister treatment to the injectable type of Wegovy, which can be used for weight reduction. Just like the injectable kind, the Wegovy capsule is designed to be taken in smaller doses, earlier than ramping as much as a bigger dose.
“Semaglutide has the longest real-world observe document of any GLP-1 agent,” Tony Yang, DSc, MPH, professor within the Milken Institute College of Public Well being within the Division of Well being Coverage and Administration and affiliate dean for Well being Coverage and Inhabitants Science at George Washington College, tells SELF. “Physicians have years of expertise managing its negative effects, drug interactions, and dosing nuances.”
The Wegovy capsule works by mimicking a protein in your physique referred to as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). It helps to cut back emotions of starvation and slows down the transit of meals in your intestine that can assist you really feel fuller for longer. The Wegovy capsule is designed to be taken as soon as a day within the morning on an empty abdomen with as much as 4 ounces of water. Customers want to attend half-hour earlier than consuming, ingesting, or taking different oral drugs after taking the Wegovy capsule.
What’s Foundayo?
Foundayo, aka orforglipron, can be a GLP-1 treatment—it’s made by Lilly. Sufferers are additionally began on a decrease dose earlier than rising to larger doses of the treatment. “Orforglipron mimics GLP-1, a hormone your intestine naturally releases after consuming—the one which tells your mind ‘okay, we’re carried out right here,’” Dr. Yang says.
“What makes it genuinely novel is its chemistry: It is a small molecule, not a peptide,” he continues. “That distinction issues enormously.” Peptide-based GLP-1s like semaglutide—once more, the energetic ingredient in Wegovy—get damaged down by abdomen acid, which is why they’ve traditionally required injections or very strict fasting protocols within the capsule kind to outlive digestion, Dr. Yang explains.
