Is Ozempic and other weight loss medications doping?

The trendy resource for weight loss, the famous Ozempic, and other analogous products like Wegovy have been under the spotlight of the AMA for some time, and there are already rumors that they could be banned before the 2028 Olympic Games.

The AMA extends the monitoring of Ozempic for another year before deciding whether to finally ban it

Since 2024, Ozempic, a drug initially created for diabetes patients that soon proved to be an effective tool for weight control by stabilizing blood glucose levels and reducing appetite, has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency's monitoring list to assess whether its use in sports poses health problems or risks for its consumers before making a decision on its prohibition or final authorization.

However, the AMA has decided to extend the monitoring of this product for at least 2026 to continue gathering information before making a definitive decision. This procedure is similar to what was followed with Tramadol, which was introduced to the monitoring list in 2012, although the UCI unilaterally anticipated the World Anti-Doping Agency in its ban in 2019, attributing the increase in falls in competition to this substance.

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Ozempic has become a tool for elite athletes in most sports where having the lowest possible weight is essential for achieving the best performance, especially in endurance sports like cycling. However, in recent times, it is not uncommon to see cases of extreme thinness, and indeed, that of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot during the Tour de France was a topic of debate during and after the race, despite the French cyclist claiming it was the result of a perfectly agreed plan with the nutritionist of Visma-Lease a Bike.

Precisely the evidence that the AMA has regarding the use of Ozempic beyond its therapeutic purpose, the potential abuse of this substance, and the unhealthy weight loss is what the AMA is analyzing with the monitoring of this medication before deciding on its prohibition.

A monitoring process in which the substance is sought in the urine samples that athletes provide during controls, where it can be detected if there is abusive use of it. If this use beyond what would be reasonable is detected, the AMA is clear, in the words of Olivier Rabin, director of science and medicine of this organization, “If in 2026 and 2027 we gather information that shows that semaglutides, GLP-1 agonists (weight loss medications), are being improperly used in sports, they could be banned before the Los Angeles Olympic Games.”

Let us remember that for a substance to be considered doping and, therefore, included in the list of prohibitions, the following requirements must be met: potential to enhance performance, real or potential risk to the athlete's health, and violation of the spirit of sport. Now it is up to the AMA to assess whether Ozempic and other similar substances fall within this framework.