South Asian metabolic risk visit sheet for Ozempic

Measurements to bring

History to mention

• Parents or siblings with type 2 diabetes
• Heart attack or stroke at a young age in the family
• Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2
• Pancreatitis in the past
• Pregnancy, or plans for pregnancy
• Insulin or a sulfonylurea among your current medicines

Thresholds and label facts

• UK Biobank: South Asian participants matched the diabetes prevalence white participants had at BMI 30 at a BMI of 22.0.[1]
• UK Biobank waist equivalents for South Asians: 70 cm in women (against 88 cm in white women) and 79 cm in men (against 102 cm).[1]
• WHO expert consultation: public health action points at BMI 23.0 and 27.5 for Asian populations; the international categories were kept.[2]
• Ozempic label: race and ethnicity had no clinically meaningful effect on semaglutide levels; exposure falls as body weight rises, and 0.5 mg and 1 mg gave adequate exposure from 40 to 198 kg.[3]
• Ozempic label dosing: 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg; moving to 1 mg or 2 mg each needs at least 4 weeks on the previous dose.[3]

Questions for the clinician

1. Which BMI and waist thresholds are you using for me, and why?
2. Is my HbA1c target different because of my heart or kidney risk?
3. Which Ozempic dose do you expect me to need, and what will decide a step up?
4. How will we judge success if my weight loss is modest?
5. How often will you check my kidney function and lipids?

Visit results