Losing Weight on Russia´s "Ozempics"

Semaglutide injections, commonly referred to in the West as "Ozempic," are flying off the shelves in Russia. Independent news outlet Kholod followed the journey of a Russian woman with weight and eating disorders before and after the arrival of the "miracle drug."

Olga, whose name was changed for the story, said she had tried to lose weight for 25 years. When she was a teenager, she weighed 154 pounds as a 5'9" woman. She thought she was fatter than her classmates. Years later, she realized she had a normal body weight at the time. But those teenage years unleashed a pattern of strict diets, exercise, and eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia.

Now in her forties, Olga realized she needed to fix her relationship with food. Throughout her life, she would binge eat, gain a lot of weight, starve herself, then lose it again: "Food remained the easiest way to relieve stress and relax." The breaking point was when she reached 330 pounds on the scale. In 2024, she booked a doctor's appointment that would change her life.

Semaglutide injections, a treatment for type 2 diabetes, have recently become a popular way in the West for losing weight. Tech billionaire Elon Musk and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have both admitted using the medicine to lose weight. Data on sales of the drug was recorded for the first time in Russia in 2021. Novonordisk's version of Ozempic was the only semaglutide sold in the country, reaching sales of 497,900 thousand units in 2022. In March 2023, the Danish company pulled "Ozempic" out of the Russian market without an official reason.

In October 2023, "Ozempic" analogs were introduced in the Russian market. Geropharm's "Semavik" and Promomed's "Kvinsenta" quickly surpassed the original drug's sales in Russia due to their affordable price. The cost of a bottle ranges from R4,400 to R5,800 rubles ($44 to $58), and each one lasts a month. In the first eight months of 2024, "Semavik" sold 772,400 packets. 

The doctor prescribed Olga with Semavik. She didn't hesitate: "I knew that the Kardashian sisters had lost weight on it, and I thought if it helped them, it would help me too." 

In the first days, the effects were noticeable. Hunger disappeared. Olga had to convince herself to eat an egg; Otherwise, she wouldn't eat. Yet the hunger, not as strong as before, eventually returned. She realized that the injections were not "magical." They needed to be combined with healthy eating and exercise habits. 

Olga experienced multiple side effects from the drug. She suffered from severe nausea, which she felt from the first day of taking the drug. She can no longer do sit-ups due to feeling nauseous.

Olga said she has also felt depressed since using "Semavik." She is not alone. The American National Institute of Health (NIH) has reported cases of worsened mood among semaglutide patients who have a history of depression. However, the NIH says the connection between depression and type 2 diabetes drugs used for weight loss requires further studies. 

Olga had to take multiple breaks from semaglutide injections. Yet, in 10 months Olga has lost 22 kilograms (about 50 pounds) on "Semavik." She doesn't believe she can reach her goal weight of 70 kg (150 lbs), but she will continue using the drug for six more months.

Semaglutides arrived in Russia while it is struggling with an obesity rate somewhere between 20 and 22 of adults. The Russian government does not collect data on eating disorders.