Weight loss and diabetes wonderdrug Ozempic faces severe restrictions in Australia

Surging demand for Ozempic has caused a crippling shortage and the TGA has restricted access for Australians. See who can still get it.

Ozempic supplies have been restricted: Picture: AFP

Access to diabetes and weight loss wonderdrug ozempic will be severely restricted in Australia due to an extreme worldwide shortage.

The nation’s medicines regulator has ruled no new patients should be prescribed the drug and only patients who have no other treatment options should continue to use it.

Doctors are to consider switching medications for patients who are already using the drug as “continuous supply cannot be guaranteed”, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said.

The medicines regulator said the pharmaceutical company that supplies Ozempic — Novo Nordisk — had advised that supply will be limited for the rest of 2023 and throughout 2024.

Shortage of the drug fuelled by its use for weight loss. Picture supplied.

After consulting doctors and patient groups the TGA has asked medicos not to prescribe the drug to new patients unless there are no other suitable alternatives.

“Supplies should be conserved for patients who are stabilised on Ozempic who have no other treatment options,” the TGA said in a statement issued today.

“It is not known when the medicine will be available in sufficient quantities to meet the ongoing high demand.”

Ozempic is suffering from a worldwide shortage. Picture: AFP

There has been a worldwide surge in demand for the diabetes medication which suppresses appetite after it was shown to produce weight loss of more than 10 per cent in many users.

Novo Nordisk has since developed a specialised version of the product called Wegovy, designed specifically for dieters.

Last month a study showed Wegovy not only produced weight loss but slashed heart attacks and strokes by 20 per cent, in a large-scale trial that could help speed up its approval for subsidy in Australia.

Australian obesity expert Professor John Dixon has described the clinical trial results as an “absolutely seminal event”.

The $400 per month injectable medication Wegovy has been shown to produce a 15 per cent reduction in weight in people using it and was approved for this purpose in the US in January.

Wegovy has been approved for use in weight loss in Australia, however the medication is not currently available here as the pharmaceutical company struggles to keep up with demand worldwide.

A lower dose form of the drug — diabetes medication Ozempic — was being used off label by doctors to treat obesity in Australia, causing a major shortage.