After years in shortage, weight loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are now considered to be “available” by the Food and Drug Administration.
While the drugs remain on the agency’s shortage list, they are no longer listed as “currently in shortage.” In the early days, demand for the drug outpaced what the manufacturers could produce, creating shortages.
Both injections are produced by the Denmark-headquartered drugmaker Novo Nordisk. The shots are different forms of the drug semaglutide.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it is working with the company to confirm the supply is stable.
“The Drug Shortages Database lists product information as it is given to FDA by the manufacturers. Although all dosages of a drug may currently be listed as available, the criteria for moving a drug off the Drug Shortages list must still be met,” a spokesperson told The Independent on Thursday. “The FDA is currently working to determine whether the demand or projected demand for semaglutide within the United States exceeds the available supply.”
Novo Nordisk said that all doses of Ozempic and Wegovy are being shipped regularly to wholesale retailers.
“This update is a result of our significant investment in capacity and ongoing communication with the FDA. Our intentional approach to gradually increase supply into the U.S. market is working,” a spokesperson said. “We will continue to prioritize continuity of care for patients, closely monitoring market dynamics and prescribing trends along the way.”
Novo Nordisk noted that even when a medication is available, patients may not always be able to immediately fill their prescription at a particular pharmacy, and there may be “variability” at a particular pharmacy regardless of whether a drug is in shortage or not.
Earlier this fall, weight loss drug Mounjaro was also was declared to no longer be in shortage after nearly two years.
Demand for these drugs has spiked, as people increasingly turn away from weight loss surgery. A new study from researchers at Harvard and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital found the use of these drugs more than doubled from 2022 to 2023.
During that same period, there was a 25.6 percent decrease in patients undergoing metabolic bariatric surgery to treat obesity.
Approximately one in eight US adults have tried weight loss drugs, and more than 15 million are using a prescription. Novo Nordisk told Fox Business in May that at least 25,000 Americans were starting the drug every week.
Wegovy is one of a handful of drugs approved by the FDA for weight loss, Ozempic is only approved for Type 2 diabetes treatment.
About of third of people on Ozempic and similar drugs experience around 10 percent loss of body weight, according to Columbia University physicians. The drugs yield an average weight loss of between 15 and 20 percent.
Celebrities such as Kathy Bates and Oprah Winfrey have admitted to taking the drugs, with positive results. However, side effects that put many Americans in the hospital have resulted in numerous lawsuits over the past year.
