The Scientific Journey Behind Ozempic (with Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Novo Nordisk's Chief Scientific Advisor)
ACQ2 by Acquired
00:00
Exploring the Science of Weight Loss Medication Development
Caloric restriction leads to weight loss, but the body adjusts energy expenditure to combat this loss, emphasizing the need for exercise to maintain metabolism. Developing semaglutide with a longer half-life than liraglutide was aimed at enhancing weight loss effectiveness by increasing stickiness to albumin in the body. Through extensive chemistry work, semaglutide was engineered to bind harder to albumin, leading to a longer half-life compared to liraglutide. The increased stickiness of semaglutide potentially allows it to target important brain areas for enhanced weight loss.
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