It’s the blockbuster drug that’s thought to be the secret behind the rapid weight loss of countless Hollywood stars — and UK politicians.
But, although studies show weight loss jabs like Ozempic can help people shed up to fifteen per cent of their body weight in weeks, it doesn’t work for everyone.
The latest high-profile so-called ‘non-responder’ is James Corden, who admitted that he turned to the drug in an attempt to shed pounds.
The 46-year-old said: ‘I tried Ozempic, and it won’t be surprising to you when you look at me now, that it didn’t really work.
‘I tried it for a bit and then what I realised was I was like, ‘Oh no, nothing about my eating has anything to do with being hungry.
James Corden has become the latest high profile non responder after admitting trying the weight loss drug
Model Lottie Moss was rushed to hospital last week after taking a high dose and vows to never 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. Pictured, Kate, left, with daughter Lila, centre, and Lottie
Comedian Amy Schumer, 43, had a similarly negative experience saying that she became so ill from using the weight loss jab she had to stop
‘All it does is make you feel not hungry. But I am very rarely eating [just because I’m hungry].’
Others who have had similarly disastrous experiences on the drug include model Lottie Moss.
The half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss last month admitted she was rushed to hospital after she took high doses of Ozempic
Lottie, 26, was violently ill, suffering a seizure and severe dehydration 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 saying that she became so ill from using the weight loss jab she had to stop.
She said: ‘I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son.’
Revealing that she opted for liposuction surgery to lose weight instead.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 60, also admitted to trying to slim down with Ozempic — but gave up after it made him feel nauseous.
‘I must have been losing four or five pounds a week — maybe more — when all at once it started to go wrong,’ he wrote in his Daily Mail column last year.
‘One minute I would be fine, and the next minute I would be talking to Ralph on the big white phone; and I am afraid that I decided that I couldn’t go on.’
Sharon Osbourne, 71, revealed she took Ozempic but said she lost ‘too much weight’ on the drug and struggled to put it back on.
Asked if her experience on the drug was positive the former X Factor judge and wife of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne said: ‘Yes and no.
‘I can’t put on weight now, and I don’t know what it’s done to my metabolism, but I just can’t seem to put any on, because I think I went too far.’
Reality star Scott Disick, 41, also admitted to seek help having lost so much weight he looked gaunt and unwell, prompting a public outcry.
Oprah Winfrey, and former Weight Watchers board member, also confessed to the drug being behind her staggering weight loss. And Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson, 44, revealed she used the drug to help her shed more than five stone during her ‘year of health’ back in 2020.
There are celebrities who have benefited from weight loss jabs.
One of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk, 53, said the drug helped him lose two stone, making him feel ‘fit, ripped and healthy’.
Chat show legend Oprah Winfrey, a former Weight Watchers ambassador, confessed the drug was behind her staggering weight loss at the end of 2023.
And Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson, 44, revealed she used the drug to help her shed more than five stone during her ‘year of health’ back in 2020.
Yet there are those, like James Cordon, who doctors know don’t respond to the treatment.
Some lose weight but quickly plateau, while others barely shift anything.
One of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk, 53, said the drug helped him lose two stone, making him feel ‘fit, ripped and healthy’
Sharon Osbourne, 71, revealed she took Ozempic but said she lost ‘too much weight’ on the drug and struggled to put it back on
Doctors working in the field believe a combination of genetics, thyroid problems and bad food choices can all work to render the medication useless.
Clinical trials of Ozempic and similar medicines Zepbound and Mounjaro, which contain the drug tirzepatide show that about 15 percent of patients are ‘non-responders’.
This means they lose less than five percent of their body weight over about 68 weeks.
‘There are a lot of factors going on including probably very strong genetics that are at play,’ Dr Gitanjali Srivastava, an obesity specialist at Vanderbilt University
Pre-existing health conditions have also been shown to stop the drug being effective.
‘Having polycystic ovarian syndrome and type two diabetes, make patients less responsive,’ says Dr Rekha Kumar, an obesity expert at Cornell University.
‘I wouldn’t say that they’re necessarily are non responders, but we know across all clinical trials for anti-obesity medicines that people with insulin resistance do respond slower and tend to lose weight slower.’
Doctors say emotional eating, or using food to cope with stress could also be a factor.
Even if semaglutide suppresses someone’s appetite, they may still experience cravings or a need for food as a coping mechanism.
Appetite can rebound after about a year of steady weight loss, too. The body finds a way to counteract the drop in calories a person takes in.
In a recent study, by the National Institutes of Health who specialises in measuring metabolism and weight change, found that people’s weight loss tends to halt at about 12 months.
Outside clinical trials experts have suggested one reason why the blockbuster drug may not be performing as expected.
Simply, you might not be storing the medication properly, dampening its potency and efficacy.
While it’s common to keep prescriptions in the bathroom medicine cabinet, providers say Ozempic should be stored in the refrigerator instead, kept at a cool 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Doctors also warned that the medication should never be frozen or stored somewhere in direct sunlight, because this can cause the medication to break down.
Dr Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon, said: ‘If Ozempic is not refrigerated, it will likely lose its efficacy over time. In some cases, it may cause more side effects.’
