Weight Loss Drug Ozempic’s Roots Trace Back to 1970s Hormone Research, Now Gaining Traction in India
New Delhi, October 5, 2025 - The burgeoning demand for weight loss medications in India is spotlighting Ozempic, a drug initially developed for type 2 diabetes, and its remarkable journey from a fleeting hormone discovered in the late 1970s to a globally impactful treatment. While recently gaining prominence in the Indian market, Ozempic’s story began with foundational research into gut hormones and decades of scientific refinement.
The story begins in the late 1970s when scientists Jens Juul Holst and Joel Habener where exploring hormones released during digestion. They discovered glucagon-like peptide-1,or GLP-1,a hormone that plays a critical role in regulating blood sugar by encouraging insulin release after eating.However, GLP-1 itself was not usable as a medicine because it breaks down too quickly in the body.
For years, scientists worked to overcome this limitation, seeking ways to create a stable and effective GLP-1-based medication. A key breakthrough arrived in the late 1990s with the advancement of long-acting drugs like liraglutide.
Novo Nordisk scientists, including Jesper Lau and Paw Bloch, then engineered semaglutide – Ozempic’s active ingredient - as a next-generation medication. Semaglutide was designed to resist rapid breakdown by enzymes and to bind reversibly to albumin,a common blood protein,allowing it to circulate longer and work once a week instead of daily. This involved subtle chemical tweaks to the natural GLP-1 structure to protect it from degradation while maintaining high effectiveness. Preclinical tests in animals showed promising results with a longer half-life and strong interaction with GLP-1 receptors.
Large-scale clinical trials starting in 2016 confirmed that once-weekly semaglutide considerably lowered blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.Researchers also observed additional benefits, including weight loss and cardiovascular protection.
Ozempic functions by mimicking the effects of natural GLP-1: it boosts insulin release when blood sugar is high, suppresses glucagon secretion (wich raises blood sugar), and slows stomach emptying to reduce appetite.this combination helps stabilize blood sugar and supports weight management, critical for individuals living with diabetes.
Ozempic’s success represents decades of hormone research and innovative chemical design, transforming a short-lived natural hormone into a powerful, convenient weekly treatment now impacting millions globally, including a growing number of patients in India.
Published By: Sibu Kumar Tripathi
Published On: Oct 5, 2025
