It’s the blockbuster drug thought to be the secret behind the rapid weight loss of countless Hollywood stars – and British politicians.
But while studies show that weight-loss pills like Ozempic can help people lose up to fifteen percent of their body weight in just a few weeks, it doesn’t work for everyone.
The latest high-profile so-called ‘non-responder’ is James Corden, who admitted he turned to the drug in an attempt to shed pounds.
The 46-year-old said: ‘I tried Ozempic and if you see me now you won’t be surprised that it didn’t really work.
“I tried it for a while and then I realized I was like, ‘Oh no, nothing about my food has anything to do with being hungry.’
James Corden has become the latest high-profile non-responder after admitting he tried the weight-loss drug
Model Lottie Moss was rushed to hospital last week after taking a high dose and vowing never to take the drug again
Lottie, half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss, suffered a seizure and severe dehydration after taking the drug when she weighed around 60kg – just nine stone. In the photo Kate, left, with daughter Lila, center, and Lottie
Comedian Amy Schumer, 43, had a similarly negative experience, saying she got so sick from taking the weight-loss shot that she had to stop
‘All it does is keep you from being hungry. But I eat very rarely (just because I’m hungry).”
Others who have had similar disastrous experiences with the drug include model Lottie Moss.
The half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss admitted last month that she was rushed to hospital after taking high doses of Ozempic
Lottie, 26, was seriously ill, suffered a seizure and was severely dehydrated after taking the drug, when she weighed just nine stone.
She said she would rather “die” than use Ozempic again.
Comedian Amy Schumer, 43, had a similarly negative experience and said she became so ill from taking the weight-loss shot that she had to stop.
She said, “I was one of those people who felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son.”
Revealing that she instead opted for liposuction surgery to lose weight.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 60, also admitted he tried to slim down with Ozempic – but gave up after it made him feel sick.
“I must have been losing four to five pounds a week – maybe more – when suddenly things started going wrong,” he wrote in his column in the Daily Mail last year.
“One minute I’d be fine, and the next minute I’d be talking to Ralph on the big white telephone; and I’m afraid I’ve decided I couldn’t go on.’
Sharon Osbourne, 71, revealed she was taking Ozempic but said she lost ‘too much weight’ on the drug and struggled to gain it back.
When asked if her experience with the drug was positive, the former X Factor judge and wife of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne said: ‘Yes and no.
“I can’t gain weight now, and I don’t know what it’s doing to my metabolism, but I just can’t gain weight because I think I’ve gone too far.”
Reality star Scott Disick, 41, also admitted seeking help because he had lost so much weight that he looked thin and unwell, sparking public outrage.
Oprah Winfrey, a former Weight Watchers board member, also confessed that the drug was behind her staggering weight loss. And Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson, 44, revealed she took the drug to help her lose more than five stone during her 2020 ‘year of health’.
There are celebrities who have benefited from weight loss shots.
One of the richest men in the world, Elon Musk, 53, said the drug helped him lose two stone, leaving him feeling ‘fit, ripped and healthy’.
Chat show legend Oprah Winfrey, a former Weight Watchers ambassador, confessed that the drug was behind her staggering weight loss in late 2023.
And Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson, 44, revealed she took the drug to help her lose more than five stone during her 2020 ‘year of health’.
Yet there are people, like James Cordon, whose doctors know that they are not responding to treatment.
Some lose weight but remain flat quickly, while others hardly change anything.
One of the richest men in the world, Elon Musk, 53, said the drug helped him lose two stone, leaving him feeling ‘fit, ripped and healthy’.
Sharon Osbourne, 71, revealed she was taking Ozempic but said she lost ‘too much weight’ on the drug and struggled to gain it back
Doctors working in the field believe that a combination of genetics, thyroid problems, and poor dietary choices can all lead to the medication becoming useless.
Clinical trials of Ozempic and similar drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro, which contain the drug tirzepatide, show that about 15 percent of patients are ‘non-responders’.
This means that they lose less than five percent of their body weight in about 68 weeks.
“There are a lot of factors going on, including probably very strong genetics that play a role,” says Dr. Gitanjali Srivastava, an obesity specialist at Vanderbilt University.
Pre-existing health conditions have also been shown to make the drug ineffective.
“Having polycystic ovary syndrome and type 2 diabetes makes patients less responsive,” says Dr. Rekha Kumar, an obesity expert at Cornell University.
“I wouldn’t say they’re necessarily unresponsive, but we know from all the clinical trials of anti-obesity drugs that people with insulin resistance are slower to respond and tend to lose weight more slowly.”
Doctors say emotional eating, or using food to cope with stress, can also be a factor.
Even if semaglutide suppresses a person’s appetite, they may still experience food cravings or cravings as a coping mechanism.
Appetite may also recover after about a year of steady weight loss. The body finds a way to counteract the decrease in the number of calories a person consumes.
A recent study from the National Institutes of Health, which specializes in measuring metabolism and weight change, shows that people’s weight loss stops after about twelve months.
Experts outside of clinical trials have suggested one reason why the blockbuster drug may not perform as expected.
You may simply not be storing the medication properly, thus dampening its potency and effectiveness.
While it is common to keep prescriptions in the bathroom medicine cabinet, providers say Ozempic should instead be stored in the refrigerator, at a cool temperature of 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Doctors also warned that the medication should never be frozen or stored somewhere in direct sunlight, as this can cause the medication to break down.
Dr. Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon, said: ‘If Ozempic is not kept in the refrigerator, it is likely to lose its effectiveness over time. In some cases it can cause more side effects.”