What You Need to Know About Compounded Versions of Popular Weight Loss Drugs

With social media fueling the huge demand for drugs like Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which are helping people to lose more weight than any previous weight loss medications, it’s no surprise that manufacturers have had trouble keeping up. And the recent approval of Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, which is the same drug, Mounjaro, approved already for diabetes, but renamed specifically for weight management, will only add to that demand. Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, for example, has intentionally cut back on production of Wegovy in an effort to limit new prescriptions, to ensure that those who have already started on the weight loss drug can continue getting their injections despite the current limited availability and manufacturing schedules. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] But as with many situations in which supply far exceeds demand, questionable versions of these drugs are making their way into desperate patients’ hands, and doctors are concerned about what exactly these versions contain. Some online sellers are exploiting the opportunity to cash in, selling knockoffs of Wegovy, whose active ingredient is semaglutide, that may not even contain semaglutide. Novo Nordisk, which still holds the patent on Ozempic and Wegovy, has also stepped in to address illicit versions of these drugs, suing medical spas, weight loss clinics, and compounding pharmacies in the U.S. that the company alleges are selling unapprove...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news