Generic Ozempic will save millions of Indian lives.

[cowboysfan]

right now only the richest can affford in India it but soon the patents will go away and then obesity rates will go way down worldwide and especially in India.They wont improve their diet but atleast there will be a clinical way to beat obesity.

[kepler37b]

Ozempic, I heard, is not a single molecule like paraceptamol. It is biologic that is quite complex to produce.

 

Again, I am a noob in medicine. Resident bio tech gurus can comment more on this.

[cowboysfan]

3 hours ago, kepler37b said:

Ozempic, I heard, is not a single molecule like paraceptamol. It is biologic that is quite complex to produce.

 

Again, I am a noob in medicine. Resident bio tech gurus can comment more on this.

no ,it can already be produced for $5 in India,only patents holding the world back.

[kepler37b]

10 hours ago, cowboysfan said:

no ,it can already be produced for $5 in India,only patents holding the world back.

Thanks for correcting man. Pricing a non biologic like ozempic at that cost is pretty odd.

[zubinpepsi]

I thought ozempic is bad for the body.. my wife tried it and she stopped as it wasn’t doing her well.. the way ozempic works makes it hard to accept it as a medicine..

[cowboysfan]

8 hours ago, zubinpepsi said:

I thought ozempic is bad for the body.. my wife tried it and she stopped as it wasn’t doing her well.. the way ozempic works makes it hard to accept it as a medicine..

the only definite side effect i have noticed in some people who have taken it they look like they were in a concentration camp,they have lost so much wight so quickly that its hard to recognize them and they dont look healthy especially on their face.

[BacktoCricaddict]

Ozempic is technically a biologic because it is a "peptide" that is manufactured in a cell-based system (yeast cells) rather than by chemical synthesis. But, for being a biologic, it is on the smaller side (40 amino acids strung together), so it is regulated like a small non-biologic drug rather than a biologic (which is stupid, BTW, because cell-based systems have unique process issues). Just for perspective, its molecular weight is 4000, whereas paracetamol is just 151. 

 

At its core, it is an appetite suppressant. So, in the US, instead of it just being a T2D treatment, it has taken off as a cosmetic weight-loss treatment by people who can afford it, and telemedicine doctors who prescribe it willy-nilly. It's a mess.

 

The cost discussion is multifaceted. Yes, today it may cost only around $5 per dose to make, but the R&D to get it to this point has been going on for 26 years (it was first tested in animals in 1998). So, whoever invested in this R&D wants their ROI. Second, it is cheaper in nations where the govt negotiates prices based on their entire population. 

 

The only way for India to get into a leadership role in this area is to invest heavily in biotech R&D from the ground-level. Right now, there is intellectual and manufacturing capability, but still the dependence on licensing from abroad keep costs high. If India starts investing in basic rigorous, statistically-strong science today, it will reap the rewards in 40-50 years. 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2024 by BacktoCricaddict

[diga]

1 hour ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

Ozempic is technically a biologic because it is a "peptide" that is manufactured in a cell-based system (yeast cells) rather than by chemical synthesis. But, for being a biologic, it is on the smaller side (40 amino acids strung together), so it is regulated like a small non-biologic drug rather than a biologic (which is stupid, BTW, because cell-based systems have unique process issues). Just for perspective, its molecular weight is 4000, whereas paracetamol is just 151. 

 

Dhanyavada Guru... Any known side effects?

[kepler37b]

2 hours ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

Ozempic is technically a biologic because it is a "peptide" that is manufactured in a cell-based system (yeast cells) rather than by chemical synthesis. But, for being a biologic, it is on the smaller side (40 amino acids strung together), so it is regulated like a small non-biologic drug rather than a biologic (which is stupid, BTW, because cell-based systems have unique process issues). Just for perspective, its molecular weight is 4000, whereas paracetamol is just 151. 

 

At its core, it is an appetite suppressant. So, in the US, instead of it just being a T2D treatment, it has taken off as a cosmetic weight-loss treatment by people who can afford it, and telemedicine doctors who prescribe it willy-nilly. It's a mess.

 

The cost discussion is multifaceted. Yes, today it may cost only around $5 per dose to make, but the R&D to get it to this point has been going on for 26 years (it was first tested in animals in 1998). So, whoever invested in this R&D wants their ROI. Second, it is cheaper in nations where the govt negotiates prices based on their entire population. 

 

The only way for India to get into a leadership role in this area is to invest heavily in biotech R&D from the ground-level. Right now, there is intellectual and manufacturing capability, but still the dependence on licensing from abroad keep costs high. If India starts investing in basic rigorous, statistically-strong science today, it will reap the rewards in 40-50 years. 

 

 

Thanks man. This is a rigorous take.

[BacktoCricaddict]

2 hours ago, diga said:

 

Dhanyavada Guru... Any known side effects?

For sure. there are side-effects. The short-term ones are mostly digestive discomfort - nausea/vomiting, gas/bloating/abdominal pain. Although these just seem like inconveniences, they can actually be quite severe for some people. Anecdotally, I know folks who had to stop because the nausea/abdominal pain was really bad. Not everybody gets these side-effects, and many are quite happy taking it and controlling their diabetes.

 

In clinical trials, they are reports of long-term side-effects too, like pancreatitis. In some rare cases, thyroid cancer risk increases are also reported.