Fang Xia, a 24-year-old woman, has faced a lifelong struggle with obesity, a condition that has plagued her both physically and psychologically. But like millions of others around the world, her life was turned around after taking semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog that mimics a hormone that triggers a sense of fullness and helps overweight people shed the pounds.
She was among the first batch of patients in China to be given the drug, originally prescribed to treat diabetes but repurposed "off label" to help people lose weight, and after 10 months, Fang lost over 50 pounds (22 kilograms). Her body mass index (BMI) -- which is calculated by dividing a person's weight by their height squared -- dropped from 32.9 to 22.6, which puts her within the healthy range.
.JPG?width=178&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms&format=auto&height=100)
