Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39848681›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical ethics2026

The Ethics of Ozempic and Wegovy.

Nanette Ryan, Julian Savulescu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical ethics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. The ethics of Wegovy: promoting autonomy in pediatric care.Medicine, health care, and philosophy · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Nanette RyanNational University of Singapore Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Singapore.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-7540-149X
Julian SavulescuCentre for Biomedical Ethics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore julian.savulescu@philosophy.ox.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1691-6403

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Semaglutide, sold under the brand names of Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy, is one of the most popular drugs on the market. Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, semaglutide is the newest in a family of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists used most commonly to treat type II diabetes. To date, the results of semaglutide for the treatment of type II diabetes have been overwhelmingly positive. It is for the drug's effects on appetite suppression and weight loss, however, that have led its surge in popularity, with many hailing semaglutide as the new 'miracle drug for weight loss'. Despite its popularity, both the governmental and popular reception to the drug has largely been mixed. In this paper, we address a range of ethical concerns and argue that while many are legitimate, they do not provide conclusive reason not to prescribe semaglutide for weight loss.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Glucagon-Like PeptidesHypoglycemic AgentsWeight LossHumansGlucagon-Like PeptidesHypoglycemic AgentsEthicsOzempicSemaglutideWeight loss

Identifiers

PMID39848681
PMCPMC13018845

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.