It activates melanocortin receptors in the central nervous system, triggering dopamine release and boosting sexual motivation, making it especially useful when low desire is the main concern
reports consulting/speaker honoraria from Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Hanmi Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Novartis, Menarini-Ricerche, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche Diagnostics and Sanofi, along with grants paid to his university from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Roche Diagnostics
For example, it can reverse abnormal wound-signaling pathways, bringing them back to normal
Preserves hypothalamic somatostatin regulation: The hypothalamus tightly controls GH release through a balance between GHRH stimulation and somatostatin inhibition
Key points: In the only head-to-head trial, Wegovy produced 15.8% weight loss compared with 6.4% for Saxenda over the same 68-week period Wegovy 7.2 mg (approved January 2026) produces even greater results at 20.7% average weight loss Real-world data from Second Nature shows 19.1% weight loss with semaglutide when combined with behavioural support Semaglutide participants were nearly three times more likely to achieve at least 10% weight loss than liraglutide participants Side effects and tolerability Both medications share a similar side-effect profile, predominantly affecting the gastrointestinal tract