Rutuja Patel, DO, medical weight loss specialist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, told Healthline that, “Wegovy is the brand name of a compound called semaglutide. It is in a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists.”
This means that semaglutide acts like GLP-1 in your body.
GLP-1 is a hormone made in your gut when you eat. It has many functions, including making you feel satiated — or full — so you know to stop eating.
“It also delays emptying of the stomach which helps us feel full longer,” said Patel.
This is not the first drug to mimic the effects of GLP-1, but it has some exceptional properties not seen in other such drugs.
“Semaglutide is unique in its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and induce satiety which is why it works better than the other GLP-1 receptor agonists to aid weight loss,” said Patel.