Post meal glucose lowering drug now available for people with type 2 diabetes

New treatment launched to help people with type 2 diabetes reach blood glucose targets.

A new once weekly treatment is available now in the UK to help people with type 2 diabetes achieve better blood glucose levels.

The GLP-1 analogue injection works by replicating the function of the GLP-1 (human glucagon-like peptide-1) hormone produced in the gut that lowers post-meal blood glucose levels and also slows down glucose absorption into the bloodstream.

The semaglutide, called Ozempic and manufactured by Novo Nordisk is recommended for use alongside diet and exercise, and as a monotherapy when metformin is considered inappropriate due to intolerance, or in addition to other medicinal products for the treatment of diabetes, when type 2 diabetes is insufficiently controlled.

Steve Bain, Professor of Medicine (Diabetes) at Swansea University and Assistant Medical Director for Research and Development for ABM University Health Board and Clinical Lead for the Diabetes Research Network, Wales said: “We know that people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes are at risk of serious complications and that can have a real impact on their lives. Being able to offer medicines such as Ozempic, which patients only need to take once a week, is an important step in helping to control the condition and reducing those risks.”

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