Semaglutide: Adjunct to Diet and Exercise for Weight Management

Semaglutide, a long-acting GLP-1 analogue, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that can be used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide(910463-68-2) is an anti-diabetic medication that is sold under brand names such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. It is used to treat type 2 diabetes and manage chronic weight. The drug functions similar to human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) by increasing insulin secretion, which leads to improved sugar metabolism. It is distributed as a metered subcutaneous injection in a prefilled pen, or as an oral form. One of its advantages over other antidiabetic drugs is that it has a long duration of action, thus, only once-a-week injection is sufficient.
The story of semaglutide began in the 1980s when scientists (such as Joel Habener and Jens Juul Holst) discovered GLP-1, a hormone in the human body that regulates blood sugar and appetite. However, its highly degradable nature limited its potential for medicinal use. In the 1990s, researchers at Novo Nordisk in Denmark, including Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, drew inspiration from the Gila monster's venom protein Exendin-4 and successfully developed the first GLP-1 drug, exenatide. In pursuit of a longer-acting drug, the Novo Nordisk team, led by Knudsen, created a once-daily liraglutide in the 2000s by structurally modifying human GLP-1 and adding fatty acid chains. Building on this success, the team further optimized the formula, ultimately leading to the development of semaglutide, with a longer half-life, by scientists including a research team led by Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. It was approved in 2017 as a once-weekly blood sugar lowering drug (Ozempic), and in 2021 it shocked the world with its remarkable effects in the field of weight loss (Wegovy), evolving from a scientific concept into a benchmark drug that changes the treatment of metabolic diseases.
ChEBI: Semaglutide is a polypeptide that contains a linear sequence of 31 amino acids joined together by peptide linkages. It is an agonist of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1 AR) and used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It has a role as a hypoglycemic agent, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, an anti-obesity agent, a neuroprotective agent and an appetite depressant. It is a polypeptide and a lipopeptide.
Semaglutide Synthetic is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 31 amino acids, having a molecular mass of 4113 Dalton and a Molecular formula of C187H291N45O59.