Daily Medication Pearl: Semaglutide (Ozempic)

Medication Pearl of the Day: Semaglutide (Ozempic)

Indication: Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease.

Insight:

• Dosing: Start at 0.25 mg once weekly. After 4 weeks, increase the dose to 0.5 mg once weekly. If after at least 4 weeks additional glycemic control is needed, increase to 1 mg once weekly.
• Dosage forms: Injection 2 mg/1.5 mL (1.34 mg/mL) available in a single-use pen that delivers 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg per injection. The single-use pen delivers 1 mg per injection. Injection 4 mg/3 mL (1.34 mg/mL) available in a single-use pen that delivers 1 mg per injection.
• Adverse events: The most common adverse reactions, reported in ≥5% of patients treated with semaglutide are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation
• Mechanism of action: Semaglutide is a GLP-1 analogue with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1. Semaglutide acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist that selectively binds to and activates the GLP-1 receptor, the target for native GLP-1.
• Manufacturer: Novo Nordisk

Sources:

1. Ozempic PI (novo-pi.com)
2. ozempic image - Google Search