Diabetes drug Ozempic runs low as TikTokers push it for weight loss
Pharmacies are running out of vital diabetes medication Ozempic as TikTok influencers recommend it as an effective — but unauthorised — weight loss management drug.
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Health experts are urging type 2 diabetes sufferers to put scripts on order for the medication Ozempic as supplies become exhausted by social media influencers touting it as a “miracle” drug for weight loss.
With “overwhelming” demand for the diabetes medication that accidentally doubles up as a quick weight loss fix, GPs are being asked to prioritise prescriptions for diabetics.
“Put your script on order as the supply chain has lowered and it’s weeks until it is resolved,” endocrinologist and staff specialist at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital Sarah Glastras warned at the GPCE conference in Sydney on Monday.
“Patients are getting wind of it as a weight loss drug and riding the wave and getting more than they need so the supply chain is very low.
“It’s obviously a sign of a good thing. It’s fantastic the medication is very effective for people with obesity too and it’s under review by the regulatory body the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for weight loss approval in Australia — but until it is, doctors should not be prescribing off-label.
“Overwhelming demand has exhausted supply.”
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) last month alerted the healthcare sector of a shortage in the injectable prescription medicine manufactured by Dutch pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk.
The shortage is seriously affecting people using the drug for its approved use for type 2 diabetes with the Royal College Of General Practitioners (RACGP) recently calling on GPs to exercise caution with off-label prescribing of the drug.
“I've had patients come into the practice asking for Ozempic by name for weight management but I’ve turned them away — I won't prescribe off-label,” Newington GP Jason Cooke said.
“We must prioritise people with type 2 diabetes for the medication, as well as ensure off label prescribing is discouraged.”
Off-label prescribing by GPs and other specialists for obesity is partly due to social media influencers touting the drug as a “miracle” weight-loss treatment, with one TikTok user boasting: “In three weeks I went down a full dress size without trying to diet.”
Another trumpets: “I don’t know what to do to handle the Ozempic shortage in Australia, I’m on my last pen, I’ve lost heaps of weight, I don’t even think of food anymore but there is a shortage. Have you switched drugs?”
Kasturi Pathak says her mother Urmila has been unable to get a month’s supply of Ozempic to manage her glucose levels, with chemists telling her they have sold out to people buying it for weight loss at a $270 mark-up.
“Mum has type 2 diabetes and needs Ozempic to stabilise her sugars but can’t get a month’s supply for love nor money and chemists are telling her it’s out of stock or retailing four weeks’ supply at $400 instead of $130,” she said.
In Australia, Ozempic is approved by the TGA for adults with type 2 diabetes in addition to diet and exercise.
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Originally published as Diabetes drug Ozempic runs low as TikTokers push it for weight loss
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