The weight-loss injection that "makes you lose weight just by lying down"

There is a strict approval process for prescription drugs, so be sure to use them under the guidance of a doctor and avoid using them on your own.
In recent times, there have been frequent developments in the weight loss market. Different from the previous off-label use of drugs for weight loss, in July this year, the domestically produced liraglutide was approved for marketing in China for obesity or overweight indications. Subsequently, the marketing authorization application for benaglutide injection (hereinafter referred to as "benaglutide") filed by Renhui Biological for obesity or overweight indications was approved.

Long before it was approved, this type of internet celebrity “weight loss shot” had already entered the circle of people who love beauty, and was also favored by patients suffering from obesity. There are many people like Bobo who want to lose weight and obtain semaglutide and liraglutide products through various channels, trying to lose weight more easily with the help of drugs.

The reporter talked with young people who use such products. Some of them are suffering from obesity, and some want to lose weight quickly and get a better appearance through slimming injections. However, does using slimming injections mean "you can lose weight while lying down"? There is still a question mark to draw.

No proof is required for online shopping, someone got an injection and went to the emergency room

Recently, when a reporter consulted the customer service of the e-commerce platform "XX Pharmacy Flagship Store", the customer service clearly stated that it can be used to lose weight and can be used without diabetes.

Although the product homepage does not indicate that semaglutide has the effect of losing weight, those who have purchased the product in the review area have said that it is useful for their own weight loss, and some purchasing agents are also mixed in the review area.

The reporter's test found that after clicking "Prescription Purchase" on the homepage, the user will be redirected to the interface for filling in personal information, and then the user will be asked to select the type of diabetes and fill in the personal information. Immediately afterwards, the doctor will ask again whether there are allergies or other diseases. If there is no other medical history, the doctor will directly issue an electronic prescription, and the user can pay directly. It is worth noting that there is no need to provide any proof of diabetes during purchase.

In addition to no need to provide proof when purchasing semaglutide on online platforms, some offline beauty salons also sell semaglutide, but do not have the corresponding qualifications. Ms. Fan purchased weight-loss injections containing semaglutide, lipase, vitamins, etc. from a beauty salon and wanted to lose weight through injections. "After I got the injection, I vomited all day and night, and then I went to the emergency room."

Before the injection, she just had a physical examination at the hospital and her physical condition was normal. Before using it, Ms. Fan was also worried about the side effects of the drug, so she learned about other people’s reactions after using the slimming injection on Douyin. She felt that it was acceptable to her, so she used the slimming injection.

Unexpectedly, after the first injection, she suffered from many physical problems. "After getting the injection around three o'clock in the afternoon, I started vomiting at 11 o'clock in the evening, almost every half an hour to an hour, accompanied by hiccups during the process." The reaction was even more serious the next day, Ms. Fan recalled, "I vomited on the third day. The next morning, there was nothing to vomit, so she started to vomit gastric juice, and in the afternoon she started to vomit bile." That night, she went to the emergency room, and the diagnosis showed that she had various problems with her electrocardiogram, blood routine, and urine routine. After the infusion, her symptoms improved somewhat, but she still didn't want to eat. After hearing that domestically produced liraglutide was approved for use as a weight-loss injection, Ms. Fan said that after fully understanding the information about the drug and that the drug had no side effects, she would consider purchasing weight-loss injections through formal channels.

Some people lost 5 pounds in a month, but the effect was not as expected

"I couldn't lose weight, so I used liraglutide." Ms. Yang, who is 162 centimeters tall, wants to lose weight from 65 kilograms to 50 kilograms. So on June 7 this year, she started using liraglutide. Previously, she received advice from her family member who is a doctor: "It is not a big problem to take this medicine." After an acquaintance helped to buy the medicine, she took it at a dose of 0.3 mg per day for a week. However, she also found during the search that the drug has some contraindications, such as people with poor kidney function and thyroid function who cannot use the drug.

To be on the safe side, she went to the physical examination department of a tertiary hospital for a physical examination after taking the medicine for a week. After the physical examination report showed no abnormality, she took the drug at a dose of 0.6 mg for another week and did not feel any discomfort. Ms. Yang went to the endocrinology department again to read the doctor's report and asked the doctor if there was no abnormality in her body if she could increase the dosage to 1.2 mg. After the doctor thought it was necessary to add more medicine, she increased the dosage and was able to stay awake all day long.

But the effect of the drug was not as good as Ms. Yang imagined. "In Xiaohongshu, other people can lose 16 kilograms in one month of injection, but I (lost) 5 kilograms in one month." She felt that the speed of weight loss was too slow. "Now, I only remember to take it, and the dose It’s very low, only 0.6 mg.” While taking the injection, Ms. Yang also insisted on doing aerobic exercise for more than 40 minutes a day, which made it difficult for her to judge how effective the drug would be. Investigating the reason, she speculated that other people may have lost their appetite after injections and would not eat anymore; while she would eat more in order to exercise, otherwise she would not be able to muster the strength to exercise.

Although it doesn't hurt to inject herself, Ms. Yang said frankly: "It's quite stressful to inject myself." Injecting herself every day is still a bit troublesome, so she decided to switch from liraglutide to liraglutide next week. semaglutide until weight loss is achieved.

I don’t want to eat anything I see, so I lose weight by exercising

Bobo is 162 centimeters tall and weighs around 80 kilograms. After trying to adjust his diet, the weight loss effect was not satisfactory. With the persuasion of her family, she went to the endocrinology department of a tertiary hospital to seek help from a doctor. The doctor recommended her to use liraglutide and provided her with a sugar-control recipe, asking her to adjust her diet and exercise appropriately.

For Bobo, losing weight puts a heavy psychological burden on her and makes her very tired. "Eating is easy and the food is delicious. There is no need to suffer." Bobo believes that she gained weight by eating snacks. When her work is heavy, she often eats snacks to relieve stress, such as milk tea, pastries, barbecue and other foods, which can make her feel happy. Normally, she doesn't eat much at dinner. To lose weight, you need to control your diet and exercise more. But exercise to lose weight is not suitable for Bobo. She doesn't like sports and can't get pleasure from them. Since her weight is relatively large, she needs to pay special attention to the intensity and type of exercise, otherwise she will be easily injured. Bobo once played badminton hard for only ten minutes, but his shoulder hurt for two weeks.

"Because my family will urge me to lose weight, and if a doctor sees me, they won't bother me." After she first started taking liraglutide, her psychological burden on losing weight was suddenly relieved - Once upon a time Losing weight requires controlling diet and exercise, but now with the existence of drugs, she feels that losing weight is not that difficult.

In 10 days, Bobo lost about 3 kilograms of weight. In recent days, she seems to have reached a plateau and has not fallen off the scale. She was a little confused. According to past conditions, she could lose 3 to 4 kilograms even if she gave up snacks for a week. The doctor recommended that she eat more carbohydrate foods, such as oats. Bobo didn’t eat much carbohydrates before the injection. The doctor recommended that Bobo eat half a catty of oats a day. Bobo was not hungry and couldn't eat. It took him five days to finish half a catty of oats. "And if I eat less, I feel very empty and can't poop." Bobo is also constipated.

She couldn't tell how much the medication would help with weight loss. "But I know that it has a great impact on my psychology. Whatever I see now, I don't want to eat it." After entering the plateau period, she increased the amount of exercise, climbing stairs for 15 minutes and walking for 20 to 60 minutes every day. ; I slightly adjusted my diet and replaced my staple food with whole wheat bread and pasta. After taking medication and adjusting his diet for more than a month, Bobo lost 6 kilograms and went to the hospital for a review to start the next stage of treatment.

There are frequent products in the weight loss market, but they are not suitable for everyone

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease. Research predicts that the number of overweight and obese adults in China will reach 810 million in 2030, and more than 65% of the population may face obesity. According to forecasts from Morgan Stanley and Frost & Sullivan, the global weight loss drug market is expected to increase to US$54 billion in 2030, with a CAGR of 35% from 2024 to 2030; China's weight loss drug market is expected to reach 149 billion US dollars in 2030. billion.

As early as the 1990s, a number of weight-loss drugs have appeared, but traditional drugs have limited weight-loss effects, and some of them have been withdrawn from the market due to safety issues such as addiction or increased risk of pulmonary hypertension and cancer. However, since the development, many pharmaceutical companies are planning to enter the weight loss market, and product innovation in the weight loss market is active.

It is worth noting that weight loss injections are not suitable for everyone. Taking Huadong Medicine's products as an example, its indications clearly state that it is suitable for adult patients who require long-term weight management as an auxiliary treatment for low-calorie diet and increased exercise: the initial body mass index (BMI) of adult patients is: ≥30kg/m2 (obese), or ≥27kg/m2 (overweight) with at least one weight-related comorbidity (such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidemia).

As for the abuse of weight-loss injections in the market, some people from pharmaceutical companies told reporters, "I hope the public can correctly understand this type of weight-loss drugs. Prescription drugs have a strict approval process, and they must be used under the guidance of a doctor to ensure the accuracy of treatment." It is safe and effective, and please do not use the medicine indiscriminately on your own.”