Ozempic Came From A Monster’s Venom-The Creature That Made Weight Loss A Trend

Ozempic has stormed the world, grossing billions and becoming a household name not only for controlling blood sugar but also for its dramatic weight-loss effect. But before it was a celebrity-favored fad, its beginnings were anything but glamorous. This medical wonder has its roots in an unexpected place: a toxic desert lizard with a remarkable talent for living on a few meals a year—the Gila monster.

The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), which inhabits the deserts of North America, is famous for its slow movements and highly toxic venom. Its bite is lethal enough to kill small animals and inflict extreme pain on humans. But lurking in this venom was a breakthrough that led to Ozempic. Researchers examining the venom of the Gila monster discovered that it consisted of a novel hormone that delays digestion and modulates blood glucose levels—an advantage that enables the lizard to get by on a meager diet.

In the early 21st century, endocrinologist Daniel Drucker asked for a hormone that mimicked the appetite-inhibiting and blood sugar-controlling action of human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) yet would not be quickly broken down in the body. He was prompted by the research of scientists John Eng, Jean-Pierre Raufman, and John Pisano, who had cloned the proteins in Gila monster venom and found two similar in structure to human GLP-1.

Drucker and his colleagues at the University of Toronto obtained a Gila monster from the Utah Zoo breeding program to further study its distinctive biochemistry. Their work identified Exendin-4, a protein that closely resembled GLP-1 but persisted much longer in the blood. This discovery ultimately gave rise to synthetic GLP-1 agonists, transforming the treatment of type 2 diabetes and, more recently, obesity.

Though promising, it took decades before the discovery found its way into an FDA-approved drug. The initial GLP-1 agonist based on Gila monster venom was approved to treat diabetes in 2005. The two decades that followed saw the formulation of more advanced drugs such as semaglutide, which is the active component in Ozempic and its weight loss equivalent, Wegovy.

Now, millions depend on Ozempic to control diabetes and shed pounds, with demand so great that worldwide shortages have been reported. Its popularity has created a surge in off-label use, with social media spreading trends of dramatic weight loss among celebrities and influencers. But the tale of Ozempic is only one illustration of how nature's most toxic animals have led to life-saving medical breakthroughs.

Other Drugs that Came from Poisonous Animals

Ozempic is hardly the first life-saving medication to be developed from the animal world's toolkit of toxins. From the beginning of time, scientists have turned to nature to find answers to human illnesses, and in the process, have developed some of the most crucial medical advances.

One of the highest-selling medicines in the world, Lisinopril, has its roots in the Brazilian viper (Bothrops jararaca). The venom from the snake includes enzyme inhibitors that inhibit the blood of its prey from clotting so the venom can travel quickly. Researchers took this process and developed angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which decrease blood pressure and are commonly used to treat heart disease and hypertension.

Far down in the ocean, the Caribbean sea sponge (Tectitethya crypta) has been secretly making substances that defend it from foreign DNA brought by predators and prey. Those unusual nucleosides were the foundation for cytarabine, a drug used to treat leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma through chemotherapy. This discovery reaffirmed the belief that even the most basic life forms can be the solution to revolutionary cures.

In a breathtaking illustration of the paradoxical position of nature in medicine, deathstalker scorpion venom (Leiurus quinquestriatus) brought about the solution to the treatment of brain tumors. A team led by oncologist Jim Olson found that a peptide found in the venom, chlorotoxin Cy5.5, attaches itself only to brain tumor cells and leaves healthy tissue intact. This resulted in the creation of Tozuleristide, a fluorescent tag that aids surgeons in precise identification and resection of cancerous tissue.

The popularity of Ozempic and other venom-based medications indicates the yet unutilized potential of the biochemistry of nature. From fungal-sourced antibiotics to animal-venom-derived painkillers, researchers are learning every day about the possibilities for leveraging the might of nature. Researchers now search for potential new treatments for neurological conditions, pain, and heart disease from the spider venom, cone snail toxin, and even the bat's saliva.

But these findings are also a harsh reminder that most of these species are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and human use. The Gila monster, for instance, is threatened by land development and wildlife trade. Conservation of these species and their habitats is not only a conservation issue, it is an issue of future medical advancement as well.