Drugmaker Reports Positive Results from Weight-loss Pill
2023-07-08
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Drugmaker Novo Nordisk says tests show good weight loss results from a daily pill version of its diabetes treatments.
2The company sells the drug semaglutide under the names Wegovy and Ozempic.
3It is currently available only as a weekly injection.
4But some people are afraid of needles.
5So, Novo Nordisk has been testing how the drug works when taken by mouth.
6Wegovy and Ozempic have gotten a lot of attention in the last year for helping people lose weight.
7The government has approved the drugs to treat people with the disease diabetes.
8But weight loss doctors also give the medication to overweight people who do not have diabetes.
9Novo Nordisk said Sunday that two 16-month studies showed good results when people took a daily pill instead of a weekly shot.
10One study followed 1,600 overweight adults who were already being treated for diabetes.
11They took a pill version of the drug each day.
12They lost between seven and nine kilograms.
13The other study looked at 660 overweight people who had a weight-related disease other than diabetes.
14Those people took a daily pill containing 50 milligrams of the medication. They lost about 16 kilograms.
15The writers of the study said the results of the second group were similar to those who received the Wegovy injection once per week.
16Novo Nordisk said it expects to ask the U.S.Food and Drug Administration to approve the pills for weight loss later this year.
17Some of the people in the study reported side effects including intestinal problems, sick stomach and diarrhea.
18Daniel Bessen is a weight loss doctor in Denver.
19He was not involved with the study, but he treats patients who use weight loss drugs.
20He said, if you ask people, "'Would you rather take a pill or an injection?' People overwhelmingly prefer a pill."
21He added, however, that people might not feel the same way if the pills are more costly than the injections.
22He said cost and availability are the most important issues for people when deciding which drugs to take.
23Katherine Saunders is a weight loss doctor at Weill Cornell Health in New York City.
24She said people will be "thrilled" with the ability to take a pill.
25Novo Nordisk already has a pill form of semaglutide that is used for diabetes.
26It is called Rybelsus. But it contains less semaglutide than Wegovy.
27Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford is an expert in treating overweight people at Massachusetts General Hospital.
28She does not think the availability of a daily pill will change the habits of many people who already use the injections.
29She said, "A lot of people like the ease of taking a medication once a week."
30She also said some people might prefer the shots to a pill that needs to be taken 30 minutes before eating or drinking each morning.
31Paul Morer is 56 years old. He said he has lost about 40 kilograms using Wegovy and does not mind the injection.
32"I do it on Saturday, it's part of my routine," he said.
33"I don't even feel the needle," Morer added.
34Some people, however, think the availability of a pill will make it more difficult for obese people to be accepted.
35Tigress Osborn is the leader of an activist group called the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
36The news of a weight loss pill, she said, may make it hard for people who are overweight to escape the feeling that "your body is wrong, and it should change."
37The drug companies Eli Lilly and Pfizer are also working on a pill version of their diabetes medications for weight loss.
38Many of these drugs are so popular for weight loss that they have become hard to get.
39They are also very costly - some can be over $1,000 per month.
40Novo Nordisk said it could not predict the cost of their pill.
41The company also said injectable Wegovy will continue to be hard to get until at least September.
42I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Drugmaker Novo Nordisk says tests show good weight loss results from a daily pill version of its diabetes treatments. 2The company sells the drug semaglutide under the names Wegovy and Ozempic. It is currently available only as a weekly injection. 3But some people are afraid of needles. So, Novo Nordisk has been testing how the drug works when taken by mouth. 4Wegovy and Ozempic have gotten a lot of attention in the last year for helping people lose weight. The government has approved the drugs to treat people with the disease diabetes. But weight loss doctors also give the medication to overweight people who do not have diabetes. 5Novo Nordisk said Sunday that two 16-month studies showed good results when people took a daily pill instead of a weekly shot. 6One study followed 1,600 overweight adults who were already being treated for diabetes. They took a pill version of the drug each day. They lost between seven and nine kilograms. 7The other study looked at 660 overweight people who had a weight-related disease other than diabetes. Those people took a daily pill containing 50 milligrams of the medication. They lost about 16 kilograms. 8The writers of the study said the results of the second group were similar to those who received the Wegovy injection once per week. 9Novo Nordisk said it expects to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve the pills for weight loss later this year. 10Some of the people in the study reported side effects including intestinal problems, sick stomach and diarrhea. 11Daniel Bessen is a weight loss doctor in Denver. He was not involved with the study, but he treats patients who use weight loss drugs. He said, if you ask people, "'Would you rather take a pill or an injection?' People overwhelmingly prefer a pill." 12He added, however, that people might not feel the same way if the pills are more costly than the injections. He said cost and availability are the most important issues for people when deciding which drugs to take. 13Katherine Saunders is a weight loss doctor at Weill Cornell Health in New York City. She said people will be "thrilled" with the ability to take a pill. 14Novo Nordisk already has a pill form of semaglutide that is used for diabetes. It is called Rybelsus. But it contains less semaglutide than Wegovy. 15Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford is an expert in treating overweight people at Massachusetts General Hospital. She does not think the availability of a daily pill will change the habits of many people who already use the injections. She said, "A lot of people like the ease of taking a medication once a week." 16She also said some people might prefer the shots to a pill that needs to be taken 30 minutes before eating or drinking each morning. 17Paul Morer is 56 years old. He said he has lost about 40 kilograms using Wegovy and does not mind the injection. "I do it on Saturday, it's part of my routine," he said. "I don't even feel the needle," Morer added. 18Some people, however, think the availability of a pill will make it more difficult for obese people to be accepted. Tigress Osborn is the leader of an activist group called the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. 19The news of a weight loss pill, she said, may make it hard for people who are overweight to escape the feeling that "your body is wrong, and it should change." 20The drug companies Eli Lilly and Pfizer are also working on a pill version of their diabetes medications for weight loss. 21Many of these drugs are so popular for weight loss that they have become hard to get. They are also very costly - some can be over $1,000 per month. Novo Nordisk said it could not predict the cost of their pill. The company also said injectable Wegovy will continue to be hard to get until at least September. 22I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Ashley Thompson. 23Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a story by The Associated Press. 24_____________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26pill -n. a small, round, solid amount of medicine or vitamin that is taken by mouth 27rather - adv. a term used to declare one thing you would prefer over something else when given a choice 28overwhelming - adj. something that is larger or greater than something else 29afford-v. the ability to pay for something 30factor-n. one of the things considered when comparing two items in order to choose which one is better 31available-adj. a measure of how common something is 32thrilled-adj. very pleased or excited 33habit-n. something a person does daily or often 34routine-n. something a person does daily or often 35______________________________________________________________________ 36We want to hear from you. Would you rather take a pill than give yourself an injection? 37Here is how our comment system works: 38Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.