Thursday, on Telenotícies migdia, Xavi Coral introduced a news item: “The popularity of appetite-suppressing and slimming medications is transforming eating habits”. This initial headline was surprising. The presenter continued: “At restaurants, it is being noticed that customers are ordering less food on their plates. This is a trend coming from the United States, where they already serve “Ozempic menus”.An expensive medication with a supposed impact on the country's restaurant industry to the point of deserving a news report on public television was worth examining. To begin with, they showed a mini-menu from a United States restaurant. A small hamburger —unappetizing, oily, and creamy— accompanied by a syringe with ketchup. The narration continued: “The truth is that bars and restaurants are adapting to new consumption habits”, a theory that perhaps did not quite fit with what we see when we eat out, where everything seems the same. The news continued: “Customers ordering smaller portions, sharing plates to also save on the bill, eating more salads and less sugar, and drinking less alcohol”. Here the news changed and was no longer as much about Coral's headline in the introduction. In Catalonia, restaurants have not changed as much as customers' eating habits. And here one must doubt whether this is due to medications like Ozempic or simply because people are more knowledgeable about nutrition and aesthetic pressure is harsh on all generations. Chefs from a couple of restaurants admitted that customers, when ordering the tasting menu, chose the short option instead of the more complete one. And that they ordered main courses accompanied by vegetables or salads instead of french fries. Is this also Ozempic's fault? Because you had the feeling that as the news progressed, we were moving further and further away from the headline and entering another issue: the desire to eat healthier. It was as if they were trying to force reality into a catchy headline.Towards the end of the piece, they tried to recover the initial thread: “Given the popularity of appetite-suppressing drugs, restaurants are preparing for the day when they will eventually arrive here, just as they once adapted to vegan or gluten-free cuisine”. That restaurants are already adapted to vegan or gluten-free dishes would be a statement with which, surely, vegans and celiacs would hardly agree. But it turns out that in the end, the news was more about future speculation than present reality. They concluded that menus were slimming down because people were trying to pay less and restaurants didn't want to waste food. It is doubtful to what extent Ozempic should be incorporated as the trigger for all this and whether these medications are being adequately reported on. In any case, if people are so interested in having a healthier and lighter diet, they could reformulate TV3's “Cuines”, which there isn't a day that goes by without them using butter.

Not so long ago, Novo Nordisk was the most valuable company in Europe thanks to sales of the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which proved to be miracle weight-loss injections. At the beginning of summer 2024, the Danish pharmaceutical company was worth more than the companies of the French luxury conglomerate LVMH and the Dutch chip manufacturer ASML. In fact, Novo Nordisk earned so much money that the Novo Foundation, which owns part of the company, became one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world, on par with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, created by the founder of Microsoft. Given this boom, the pharmaceutical company's decline over the last two years is all the more striking. This fall is clearly reflected on the stock market: on June 25, 2024, the company's shares reached a peak of €113, but now the price has dropped by almost 70%. The Danish pharmaceutical company's latest stock market plunge occurred last week, when its shares fell 18% in a single day, coinciding with the release of its 2025 financial results and sales forecasts for this year. According to the company's results, Novo Nordisk continues to be very profitable (€13.7 billion, up 1.4% year-on-year, and sales of €41 billion, a 6.4% increase). However, the outlook for the future exacerbates the pharmaceutical company's crisis, as it forecasts a revenue decline of between 5% and 13% by 2026. This decline represents the first drop in annual sales since 2017, before the company began selling the drug Ozempic. In response to this announcement, Chief Financial Officer Karsten Munk Knudsen admitted that it was a "very disappointing" forecast. Thus, the year has not started well for the company. The company had made a big bet earlier this year on launching a weight-loss pill with the same active ingredient, semaglutide, as the popular drug Wegovy, which, however, is injected. But less than two days later, a pharmaceutical imitation of this drug, manufactured by the American company Hims & Hers Health, appeared on the market, priced at $49 for the first month and $99 for subsequent months, while the drug manufactured by Novo Nordisk sells for $149.

One of the greatest medical revolutions of recent times has been the development of new drugs to combat obesity, as nothing like it has ever existed before to treat this disease. Medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which mimic a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels, quickly suppress appetite and were initially designed to treat diabetes, have become one of the most effective tools for weight loss. Their success has long since driven up demand, leading to episodes ofsupply problems in Catalan pharmaciesBut its impact goes beyond the therapeutic sphere and can be seen in other sectors that are seemingly further removed from medicine, such as the restaurant or food industry.

Not only is there a fever for Ozempic, but the drug's patent will soon expire and much more affordable generic versions will be arriving. This is more than good news for diabetics or those who take it to lose weight: according to many studies, GLP-1 receptor agonists, which is the technical name for the thing, reduce alcohol, cocaine, and tobacco consumption among addicts, prevent heart attacks, are associated with a lower risk of several types of arthritis, and may even slow memory loss associated with Alzheimer's. Although enthusiasm and economic interests should make us wary, there are indications that we are talking about a miracle drug.

In it We eat There is the following phrase as the headline of the interview with chef Heston Blumenthal"If we're not careful, Ozempic will ruin the restaurant industry." That phrase sticks with me. Ozempic is this diabetic drug that "makes you lose weight." It makes you lose weight because it apparently makes you lose your appetite. Everyone around me is taking it and saying they've lost weight. "It makes you lose your appetite, you're fed up," they tell you. I'm one of those who, when they have to go on a diet, opt for the traditional method of alternating videos of enlightened people meditating and purifying themselves with videos of slaughterhouses and hamburger factories. I join the sect of those who hate processed foods and merge with the cosmos every day from seven to nine. Convinced, I do the trick.

Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which mimic a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels, generate a feeling of satiety, and are used for diabetes and obesity, have become one of the most effective tools to aid in weight loss. Now, the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) has gone a step further, analyzing in a study the different therapeutic alternatives available to people with obesity and concluding that these drugs should be the main treatment for most patients. The success of these drugs, in fact, has long since boosted demand and has led to episodes of Supply problems in Catalan pharmacies.

For several days now, we've been reading in the ARA news related, in one way or another, to Ozempic, the weight-loss drug. Yesterday, we heard that imitators had emerged at cheaper prices. Today, we heard that a Catalan drug, orforgliprone (named after an ogre from a Netflix series), has also emerged. lose weight, but unlike the other one (the one named after a Barça full-back), it can be administered orally, in capsule or pill form. It seems it's already been tested on volunteers: "They randomly received different doses of the drug or placebo doses, always in the form of one capsule daily. In addition, this regimen was combined with advice on a healthy diet and physical activity." The photo illustrating the garment shows a man with a trimmed beard wearing tracksuit shorts and a tight-fitting T-shirt, staring at the horizon with a sad face. This isn't the first time it's been mentioned. It's appeared at least once before, in a news story about obese people.

An increasing number of alternatives to obesity drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are emerging, and one of those that could soon reach the market has a Catalan imprint. An international phase 3 clinical trial, in which the Vall d'Hebron University participated, has demonstrated the efficacy of a new drug for the treatment of people with obesity. Orforgliprone is a drug that, like other obesity drugs, acts on the GLP-1 receptor, which is found in various cells involved in regulating appetite and metabolism in the brain and digestive tract. However, the difference between this drug and the already well-known Ozempic is that orforgliprone can be taken orally, in capsule or pill form, thus avoiding the complications or limitations of injectable treatment.

We read in the ARA that the pharmaceutical company that makes Ozempic, this weight-loss drug named after a Barça full-back, was the most valuable a few months ago, but is now making losses. It's funny that, to justify the slimming down of the squad (and pardon the verb), the directors say this: "Our markets are evolving, especially the obesity market, since it has become more competitive." In other words, obesity is "a market." A business. And, therefore, it's better for it to last.

Just two years ago, the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk was the most valuable company in Europe (around €600 billion), and its growth seemed limitless thanks to sales of its drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Originally intended for diabetes, these drugs turned out to be miracle injections for losing appetite and losing weight, causing the Danish company to multiply its value fivefold in just five years.

Semaglutide drugs—which mimic a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels and are used for diabetes and obesity—became a target of the pharmaceutical industry and have ultimately ended up being prescribed in clinics and dispensed by pharmacies as one of the most effective tools. However, the ease with which they are discontinued prematurely is beginning to worry endocrinologists. A study conducted in Denmark (where the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk manufactures) warns that half of semaglutide users discontinue treatment within a year.

There are injections that heal, but others can hurt deeply. The images ofinfluencers and celebrities promoting themselves on social media with Ozempic slimming syringes are leaving a lasting impression on adolescents. Almost half of Catalan girls aged 12 to 16 (47%) want to lose weight—according to the Catalan Women's Institute—although the vast majority already have a healthy, balanced body. This unfounded desire erodes self-esteem, fuels obsessive thoughts, and triggers anxiety to the brink of depression. The allure of extreme thinness, presented as a desire, becomes a path to emotional pain.

We read in the ARA that drugs like Ozempic, which suppress hunger, "have revolutionized the fight against obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease worldwide" because they generate a feeling of satiety by mimicking the functioning of a hormone. And it seems that now Catalan researchers—one of them, Antonio Zorzano, explains—have found "a new protein that, like these drugs, would allow obesity to be treated without modifying the patient's diet." Because it makes you burn calories!

Drugs like Ozempic, which suppress hunger, have revolutionized the fight against obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease worldwide. They mimic the functioning of a hormone in the intestine to generate a feeling of satiety in those taking them, and their emergence has radically changed the lives of many patients, as they previously did not have such effective therapeutic alternatives. Now, a group of Catalan researchers has discovered in a study a new protein that, like these drugs, could treat obesity without modifying the patient's diet. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, It has been carried out on mice, and the results are very preliminary but also very promising.

I see the ad on television, before a series. It simulates a game show. The contestant is a woman who is overweight, but not obese. The host asks the woman to complete the sentence: "Obesity increases..." And she says: "The capacity for self-acceptance." And adds: "And it also increases the risk of heart disease." The formula is repeated several times. The woman says many things that wouldn't be out of place in a television program about what we now call fatphobia, so the host's words are like a warning sign for self-help. The ending, however, is corny and cheesy and ruins the beginning. The woman breaks down and says that obesity is "Not being able to play with my children" or "Feeling ashamed when I eat in front of others," and ends by saying that "Obesity is an illness."

At least ten patients have reportedly died in the United Kingdom after suffering from pancreatitis, allegedly as a side effect of so-called anti-obesity injections for weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic. According to the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), since the introduction of these appetite-suppressing drugs used to treat both obesity and type 2 diabetes, more than 560 reports of patients with pancreatitis have been received. The information was published this Thursday. The Guardian and The Times, although it is only this second medium that quantifies the number of victims, as well as the number of people affected: no less than 560.

Taking semaglutide drugs – an active ingredient that mimics a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels and is used for diabetes and, more recently, against obesity – reduces alcohol consumption, according to research from the University of Southern California (USC) published this Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. This is a side effect that has been reported by doctors and patients around the world in recent years, due to the popularization of drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, but which had not been confirmed until now. According to this research, people who use these drugs have a reduced desire to drink, so they not only consume less alcohol, but they do so less often.

Kalundborg (17,000 inhabitants) looks like any other Danish industrial town, where very little happens. Located 95 kilometres from Copenhagen, it has a freight port, most of the houses are single-family homes and on the main street there are a couple of clothes shops, hairdressers and a few cafés.