Ozempic is scarce. Here’s how that affects diabetes

Ozempic, the highly popular GLP-1 agonist drug touted by many celebrities for weight loss, is in shortage of supplyaccording to drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk. The drug is FDA-approved for the treatment of diabetes, but is often used off-label for its many other benefits, including weight loss. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, works by slowing the emptying of the stomach, making patients fuller, and by acting on the hunger centers in the brain, preventing food cravings. It can also treat diabetes because it stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels.

The drug is extremely effective for both diabetes and weight loss and has many additional benefits, including reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke and death. In addition, semaglutide can also protect the kidneys in diabetics.

Ozempic is in short supply for several reasons. The drug is in high demand and drug production has not been able to keep up with the accelerated need for it. In addition, because it is administered as a weekly injection, producing an injectable drug is more difficult than producing an oral pill.

Widespread telehealth prescriptions also contribute significantly to the Ozempic shortage. Many digital telehealth companies offer Ozempic with very little control of patient information, according to reports from CNN. This opens the door to prescription abuse, as some patients can get a prescription for Ozempic without being diabetic or obese. This invariably limits the drug’s availability to those who need it most, especially diabetic patients with elevated blood sugar levels.

The Ozempic deficiency can have profound effects on diabetes patients who rely on the drug to maintain normal or healthy blood sugar levels. Without diabetes medication, patients run the real risk of uncontrolled blood sugar levels. Over time, this can have devastating consequences and lead to serious health complications, including but not limited to nerve damage, kidney disease and even cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke.

Ozempic’s absence from pharmacy shelves may also force patients to seek alternative medications in an effort to better control blood sugar levels. However, switching to other medications is not always easy. Many patients with diabetes spend months, if not years, finding the optimal medications tailored to their body to adequately control their blood sugar levels. Sudden changes in their regimen can result in destabilized blood sugar levels, which may result in the need for more frequent blood sugar monitoring and possible medication adjustments.

Even if patients achieve adequate blood sugar control, drugs other than GLP-1 agonists may have different side effect profiles. This can make different drug regimens intolerable or uncomfortable for patients. In addition, several classes of drugs may not provide the same benefits as Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists, such as protecting the kidneys or reducing the risk of heart disease.

In an effort to address the Ozempic shortage, the FDA has allowed compounded versions of the drug to enter the market. Compound medications are medications that are modified or combined or mixed with specific ingredients to serve a patient in some way. They can be very useful for patients who need a medication but are allergic to a specific ingredient. A compounded version of Ozempic would contain semaglutide as part of the ingredients, but would differ from the branded version of Ozempic in that it contains additional ingredients not found in the branded version.

The catch with compounded medications is that they are not FDA-approved and they do not undergo the same vigorous testing for safety and quality as FDA-approved brand-name drugs. Thus, diabetic patients who have to turn to the preparation of Ozempic may experience unwanted side effects that are not associated with the Ozempic brand, and which may not be entirely safe with regard to their overall health and well-being.

While the Ozempic shortage is largely caused by the sheer demand for it, we all need to do our part as individuals to ensure it is available to the diabetics who truly need and depend on it. This means that if you are not diabetic or obese, you do not need to ask for a prescription. As public health practitioners, we must prioritize medications for a critical medical need over seeking care for less serious conditions.

In addition, doctors should be held accountable for the prescriptions they write. Doctors should thoroughly investigate a patient’s need for Ozempic and really figure out if they meet the qualifications for the prescription.

For some diabetics, Ozempic can mean the difference between controlled and uncontrolled blood sugar levels.