WATCH: How does diabetes drug Ozempic work?

• Ozempic is a once-a-week injectable drug used to treat diabetes. It contains a synthetic version of a hormone that regulates our blood sugar, but also causes the stomach to empty much slower which causes a reduction in appetite.

• This leads people who take the medication to eat less and lose large amounts of weight in a short time. And research shows that once people stop taking Ozempic, they regain the weight they lost within a year.

• But how does Ozempic work and why does it cause weight loss?

This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. Sign up for the newsletter.