“I don’t think we should look for someone to blame for the lack of this kind of drug”, says Dr. Núria Vilarrasa, specialist in endocrinology and nutrition at the Bellvitge hospital. “If it had been caused by another disease other than obesity, it would look different,” he adds. He recalls that there is “a very great need to have effective treatments to combat this pathology”, which has become a “worldwide pandemic”. In this sense, he explains that 22% of the Spanish population is obese and that if the same evolution is followed, the percentage will grow to 37% in 2035.
And not only that: “There are three million deaths a year worldwide due to problems with excess weight, which is the basis of many other diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, liver disease, 13 types of cancer, cardiovascular pathologies… People with obesity have a higher mortality and, therefore, we need treatments”, he says.
Because of all this, he can come to understand that there are people with this pathology who are resorting to drugs such as Ozempic, indicated for patients with diabetes 2. “Until now, they didn’t have anything effective to inject; now yes. In the end, it is the same active principle, with a smaller dose, of a drug that is very safe”. He hopes that with the increase in production the lack of supply can be solved.
Novo Nordisk is working on it, which explains to this newspaper that over the next two years it will have invested more than 4.5 billion euros to expand the capacity of its “relevant production centers”. In addition, it claims that it is investing almost 5.5 billion euros more in the facilities of its plant in Kalundborg (Denmark) and more than 2.1 billion to expand the production plant in Chartres (France).
Novo Nordisk is not the only laboratory that aspires to have a relevant position in this market. Others such as Eli Lilly also have marketed products. This includes, for example, Zepbound (tirzepatide), which has been approved by the FDA (not yet by the EMA, although it has already recommended its authorization) and is identical, even in dosages , to its drug (named Mounjaro) indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Many other pharmaceutical companies, such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Amgen, are accelerating the development of their own drugs for weight loss.
Novo Nordisk itself calculates that there are 764 million people with obesity in the world and that of these only 2% (about 15 million) are being treated. “Even supposing that this number did not vary and remained fixed, the normal thing is that, with the appearance of new drugs, the number of people accessing treatment increases”, points out Javier Cabrera, XTB analyst. “Therefore – he continues – it has a lot of room for growth, although the company will not monopolize the entire market”.
The FDA is monitoring these drugs since some (few) cases of suicidal ideation have been reported, although the US agency has not found any link. “Our preliminary evaluation has found no evidence that the use of these medications causes suicidal thoughts or actions,” he reported ten days ago in a statement. However, he added that the risk cannot be ruled out definitively and will continue to analyze the problem, as he has announced that the EMA will also do.
In this regard, Novo Nordisk explains that the data they have “have not revealed a causal association between semaglutide or liraglutide and suicidal and self-harming thoughts” and recalls that the EMA, in Europe, “continually monitors safety signals”, as they do , they say They also emphasize that they continue to “trust the benefit and risk profile” of their products and that they maintain their commitment “to guarantee the safety of patients”.
