Diabetic Virgin Islanders Prefer to Keep Weight On, Refrain from Using Ozempic and Other Drugs, Nurse Practitioner Says During Senate Hearing

As the USVI assesses how to combat high levels of diabetes in the territory, policymakers are keeping a keen eye on the growing use of one prescription medication.

Semaglutide — marketed as Wegovy and Ozempic, is administered in weekly injections to manage type 2 diabetes, and spurs the production of insulin in the body, reducing blood sugar levels. Taken orally, prediabetic patients also show better control of blood sugar, slowing the progression of their disease. However, the medication is skyrocketing in popularity due to one side effect in particular: weight loss.

Lifestyle outlets in the U.S. have reported on the use of the drug by several celebrities to fast-track their journey to a slimmer body. In late 2023, media mogul Oprah revealed her use of the medication as a “maintenance tool”. As local legislators discussed the management of diabetes and its related illnesses last week, Senator Marise James initiated a line of questioning on the use of the drug.

Suggesting that “most of us don't like to take the long difficult road to change behavior,” Ms. James wanted to know how extensively Ozempic and other semaglutide medications were being used here in the territory. Nurse practitioner at the V.I. Diabetes Center of Excellent, Carlos Castillo, suggested that it was not as widely adopted as it should be.

“When it comes to our patients here in the Virgin Islands, for some reason, they do not like to lose the weight,” she said. A semaglutide regimen can result in a person shedding 4 percent - 6 percent of their weight, according to Mr. Castillo. He told lawmakers that unlike many on the mainland, patients in the territory often do not welcome this outcome. “Some of them say…’I rather not take the Ozempic because it’s going to make you lose weight."