Semaglutide, the underlying drug marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy, works by mimicking a hormone that triggers the body to feel full. When the drug interacts with a receptor in the stomach, patients feel full sooner and for a longer period of time after eating. The drug does not cause weight loss directly – instead, it makes you want to eat less.

Congress is pushing companies like Ozempic and Wegovy, which make weight loss drugs that have changed the lives of millions of Americans, to lower their prices and make them more affordable to the masses.