“Weight Loss Miracle Drug” Semaglutide Faces Misuse in China, Leading to Emergency Hospitalizations Due to Dehydration

There’s no way to completely stop misuse because there will always be various methods and channels—e-commerce websites, beauty salons, agents… As long as there is demand, the market exists.

In the United States, the number of people misusing semaglutide is even higher. According to CNN, from January to November 2023, America’s Poison Centers reported nearly 3,000 calls involving incorrect dosages of semaglutide, 15 times the number in 2019, with some even injecting ten times the standard dosage.

On one hand, there is misuse; on the other, Chinese pharmaceutical companies are competing for the miracle drug. As of the end of June 2023, 21 Chinese pharmaceutical companies had semaglutide in development. Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide tablet was also approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in January this year. To some, the only downside of semaglutide is the need for injection, a minor barrier. With this obstacle removed, the choice is entirely in individuals’ hands.

I asked Du Xiaoyue if she would buy the oral medication once it’s on the market. Without hesitation, she told me she would, unless there’s a next, better, more convenient, and more effective “miracle drug” available.