The FDA says Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are no longer in the Short Term
It may become easier for some people to fill prescriptions for popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro.
Type 2 diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight loss drug Zepbound – both made with the active ingredient tirzepatide – are now available in individual doses for the first time in months lot, according to an August 2 filing with the US Food and Drug Administration. FDA) drug shortage database. Tirzepatide started on the FDA shortage list in December 2022.
Meanwhile, semaglutide — the main ingredient in the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight-loss drug Wegovy — has been on the FDA’s shortage list since March 2022. All values of the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic is currently available, and they are all available. but a low starting dose for weight loss drug Wegovy. The 0.25 milligram (mg) starting dose of Wegovy currently has a “limited supply,” with no estimated expiration date, according to the FDA.
“In the last few months, the deficiency has decreased significantly for all doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro,” says Jody Dushay, MD, an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. . “I also see and hear that semaglutide is easy to find, with all the dosages of Wegovy and Ozempic.”
Anthony Millard, MD, an obesity medicine physician at the Northwestern Medicine Health Center in Chicago, also noted that GLP-1 prescriptions are becoming easier to fill. “But there is still a lack of different dosages and various pharmacies, including some of the mail order pharmacies,” Dr. Millard says.
Other GLP-1 drugs are still difficult to find
All of these drugs belong to a family of drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists that can help suppress appetite, delay food intake, boost metabolism and lower blood sugar levels. in the blood.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two GLP-1 drugs made with the active ingredient semaglutide: Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss and death prevention of the heart. The center has also approved two drugs with the active ingredient tirzepatide: Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss.
For more than a year, shortages, limited insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs have made it difficult for many people to start using GLP-1 drugs or continue treatment. .
Patients usually start taking GLP-1 injectable drugs at low doses that begin to reduce side effects, then gradually increase the dose every few weeks until they reach the optimal dose of the drug.
Wegovy, for example, comes in five different sizes. Patients are instructed to start with injections of 0.25 mg, and gradually increase the dose every four weeks until they reach a maintenance dose of 1.7 or 2.4 mg. Starting with a dose of 0.25 mg is recommended to reduce common side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation.
Melanie Jay, MD, professor of medicine and population health at NYU Langone Health, New York City, says: “The lack of starting dose makes it difficult for new patients to start Wegovy.”
And, as long as the short-term supply problems continue, the lack of Wegovy starter doses may also make it difficult for some people who are already using this drug to continue treatment, says Dr. Dushay. That’s because people who stop treatment because of a shortage can’t start treatment at the high dose they were taking.
“This is a dream because you need to go back to a very low dose if you stop this medication for more than two weeks,” Dushay says.
Choosing the Best GLP-1 Drug
While GLP-1 drugs are becoming more readily available at pharmacies, many people still struggle to afford them due to high out-of-pocket costs. Without insurance, a one-month supply of Zepbound and Mounjaro costs about $1,100 a month; Ozempic runs about $950, and Wegovy is about $1,300, according to GoodRx.
This means that many patients may need to choose one of these medications that their insurance plan covers, Dushay says. “Usually, insurance will cover one or the other, that’s usually how the decision is made, unfortunately,” Dushay says.
Insurance coverage can come with a lot of paperwork and restrictions, limiting what doses of certain drugs they will cover, or putting a cap on how long patients can stay on a low dose before they have to. shift to a higher level, says Millard.
“Patients should be able to stay on an effective dose as long as they find it effective,” Millard says. “We don’t get these other needs with diabetes medications, or cholesterol or high blood pressure medications.”
People who do not need to choose a drug based on their out-of-pocket costs or insurance benefits may want to consider Wegovy if they are at high risk for heart disease, because the drug is FDA-approved to help prevent the heart attacks and blows, Dr. Jay says.
However, Zepbound and Mounjaro may improve sleep apnea and may also cause weight loss better than Ozempic or Wegovy, Jay notes.
However, Ozempic and Mounjaro appear to have similar blood sugar-lowering effects, Millard says.
“Assuming both are available and both are covered by the patient’s insurance, both are good options,” says Jay. “So patients who have specific conditions they want to treat in addition to their obesity should discuss with their doctors what they should try first.”
#FDA #Ozempic #Mounjaro #Zepbound #longer #Short #Term