Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy, SOMA
John Sydenham
Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Ozempic (semaglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) are effective weight loss drugs. They also provide some protection against cardiovascular events and type II diabetes. The drugs are all GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) ‘agonists’ which means they act a bit like a hormone called glucagon which breaks down fats to increase blood glucose. Mounjaro has also been shown to maintain weight loss.
At present the weight loss drugs are very positive for both physical and mental health in those who need them. Even the relatively high incidence of side effects is well tolerated. This is not surprising because the current group of recipients are either obese or diabetic and relieved to lose weight. The effects of Semaglutide are still being investigated. Current studies in humans are confounded by the benefits of becoming slimmer. There are now increasing demands for these drugs, especially the coming oral formulations, to be made freely available. Is this a good idea?
Preliminary studies on animals and addicts are interesting. Semaglutide reduces the distance that mice run by 38% (Science News) which suggests a decrease in motivation. In humans GLP-1 agonists have been shown to reduce addictive behaviour towards cocaine, nicotine and alcohol (The Scientist). Reports are coming in of depression and anxiety, A large scale study showed that GLP-1 agonists are a serious risk for anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. Expect the pharmaceutical companies to control this narrative.
The early data suggests that the regulatory authorities should be very careful indeed about releasing GLP-1 agonists for the general population. Independent trials are needed on large numbers of people to check that these drugs are safe.
There are two possibilities for the general release of oral GLP-1 drugs. In the first they will be beneficial and may be a way of making the whole population healthier. In the second possibility they may improve the physical health of the population but, like the fictional drug ‘SOMA’ in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, might create people who are demotivated and easily controlled. Mounjaro and Ozempic or their orally administered successors might be SOMA.
The second possibility might not be mission critical for sales of these drugs. It would be very attractive to Internationalists who favour the profits of multinational corporations and need to control the tensions created by multiculturalism.
