HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The first drug approved for weight loss since 2014 is now in short supply due to COVID-related production interruptions.
Studies involving the drug called Wegovy, which was released in June of last year, showed that 50 percent of people were able to lose at least 15 percent of their body weight.
Two-thirds lost up to 20 percent of their body weight on the drug.
”This drug has been called a true game-changer when it comes to the treatment of obesity the amount of weight loss seen with many patients taking Wegovy has not been seen before in any degree of medical therapy and the amount of weight loss approaches what we’ve seen in gastric surgery, bariatric gastric surgery,” said endocrinologist Dr. Paul Jellinger with the Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Care in Hollywood.
Jellinger said the drug is so scarce, only existing prescriptions are being filled. The backlog for Wegovy is expected to ease by June of this year.
COVID vaccinations and teens
The Centers for Disease Control is reporting that the Pfizer vaccine is preventing severe COVID complications in teens.
Researchers found the vaccine bolstered protection against multi-symptom inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).
From July to December 2021, 95 percent of teens admitted to hospitals for MIS-C were unvaccinated.
The five percent of fully vaccinated patients who were hospitalized did not need respiratory or cardiovascular life support compared to nearly 40 percent of unvaccinated patients with MIS-C who did.