Written by Anny Do | Edited by Sarah Liu
Photo by i-SENS, USA
The body naturally produces a hormone called insulin, which is taken up by cells to break down blood sugar. For individuals with Type 2 diabetes, however, cells do not take up the insulin produced by the body, resulting in high levels of blood sugar. As a result, patients are prescribed non-insulin medications including Ozempic and Wegovy, both brand names for semaglutide. To account for the lack of insulin uptake, these medications work to regulate a person’s appetite and diet to ensure that low blood sugar is maintained [1]. Ozempic, for instance, is delivered subcutaneously, or by injection, and is used once a week. Patients start with 0.25mg during the first four weeks of use, and then increase to 0.5mg and 0.1mg [2, 3].
Besides its important function of helping diabetic patients, semaglutide has also been prescribed for weight loss. Prescriptions for Ozempic doubled to 1.2 million in the summer of 2021, as it has been increasingly prescribed to non-diabetic individuals [4]. In April 2024, the number of patients on Wegovy was 4 times the number of patients who were prescribed the medication in December 2023 [5]. Recently, mainstream attention on social media has also led to the overall growth of interest in these medications, creating a convincing campaign to lose weight. Consequently, there has been a supply shortage that started in 2022 and still continues as of May 2024 [4]. This shortage puts diabetic patients at risk for further health concerns. Individuals on semaglutide are required to keep consistent dosage schedules to prevent unsafe changes in blood sugar levels and unregulated diabetes. Failure to keep a regular dosage can even result in unsafe and irreversible weight gain. While switching medications is an option, doing so can cause side effects such as vomiting and nausea [6]. In many pharmacies, these medications have been placed on backorder until they are readily available for patients.
In order to mitigate this problem, Novo Nordisk, which is the production company of Ozempic and Wegovy, has called for a pause on new prescriptions. In hopes of speeding up production, the company is also producing smaller dosages of the injectable medication, rather than larger dosages [5]. Still, pharmacies need to be quick to order the scarce supply.
Patients are recommended to speak with their primary care physicians about alternative approaches that are tailored to their health if the medications are not available. Arguments have arisen to have these medications be strictly reserved for patients with diabetes or unregulated obesity. This may mitigate supply shortages and provide a long-term solution until production is increased in a sustainable manner, and access to these medications can be prioritized for the people who need it most.
References:
[5] “Supply update.” Novo Nordisk, https://www.novonordisk-us.com/supply-update.html.