Ozempic Without Muscle Loss? New Drug Combo Trial Finds It’s Possible

Thinking about taking Ozempic but worried about losing too much muscle? New clinical trial data might point to a future where that’s no longer a concern. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced the interim results of its Phase 2 COURAGE trial Monday, which tested a combination of semaglutide (the active ingredient in popular drugs Ozempic and Wegovy) and up to two antibodies designed to preserve muscle. Compared to people who only took semaglutide, those on the combination lost less lean mass and even appeared to shed a bit more weight. The findings will pave the way for larger trials of these drugs. Semaglutide and similar GLP-1 drugs have proven to be highly effective obesity and type 2 diabetes treatments. But like every drug, they have their possible trade-offs, including muscle loss. Experts have correctly argued that this side effect isn’t truly unique to GLP-1s. Anytime we lose a significant amount of weight, we’re likely to lose both fat and fat-free mass, also known as lean bod ... Read full article.