FDA approves ozempic for type 2 diabetes

(HealthDay)—A new once-weekly diabetes medication that lowers blood glucose and also helps patients lose weight has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The once-a-week injection drug Ozempic (semaglutide) is approved for patients with type 2 diabetes. It stimulates the body's insulin production and reduces appetite, the Associated Press reported.

The drug is from Danish company Novo Nordisk. A company-funded study of 1,200 type 2 diabetes patients found those who took Ozempic had average reductions in long-term blood glucose levels at least 2.5 times greater than those who took daily sitagliptin.

Patients who took Ozempic also lost two to three times as much weight as those in the comparison group, the AP reported.