Some ‘can’t get it to live;’ weight-loss trend blamed for nationwide storage of diabetic medication

DAYTON — A drug responsible for lowering blood sugar levels is currently in short supply because some are using it for off-label weight-loss use.

Ozempic is an injectable drug that is used once a week to help type 2 diabetics improve blood sugar and A1C levels and is currently listed on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug shortage supply list.

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The drug shortage has caused those that use this drug to miss dosages because it is not readily available at their local pharmacy.

“They go without it or do try to get their doctor to prescribe them some other long-acting insulin for their sugar problem,” Abel Ngoh, Pharmacist at Ziks Family Pharmacy, said

A prescription is required for this drug to be obtained from a pharmacy; however, some doctors have prescribed this drug to patients for off-label usage.

Off-label usage is when a doctor prescribes a drug approved by the FDA to treat a specific condition that is different than the one they are treating. In this case, doctors have prescribed Ozempic to aid in weight loss rather than lowering blood sugar in patients.

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“It also helps with hunger calms hunger down, it makes more sense of fullness,” Joel Aylor, Pharmacy Manager at Kettering Health Main Campus Outpatient Pharmacy, said.

Even though there are medications made for weight loss, prescriptions are still being given out for Ozempic.

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‘There are other diet pills out there or other types of weight loss products, but they’re just not as good,” said Aylor.

This is leaving people in the Miami Valley like Becca Deshaw struggling to get her medicine.

“When somebody is trying to lose weight, I understand the difficulty. I understand the desire. But if you’re taking it in order to lose weight and somebody else can’t get it to live, that’s not kind,” Deshaw said.

According to the FDA, the lower dosage of 0.25 mg/0.5 mg has limited availability due to increased demand. The manufacturer of the drug Novo Nordisk expects the drug to be fully available to patients by mid-March.

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