The diabetes and weight loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy are now considered to be available after more than two years of being considered in shortage by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
While the drugs remain on the shortage list for now, they are no longer listed as “currently in shortage” by the FDA. Both Ozempic and Wegovy are forms of semaglutide, a GLP-1 agonist drug manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
When reached for comment, an FDA spokesperson told The Hill, “The FDA is currently working to determine whether the demand or projected demand for semaglutide within the United States exceeds the available supply.
“Although all dosages of a drug may currently be listed as available, the criteria for moving a drug off the Drug Shortages list must still be met,” they added.
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson confirmed their two high-profile medications are now “available.”
“This update is a result of our significant investment in capacity and ongoing communication with the FDA. Our intentional approach to gradually increase supply into the U.S. market is working,” the spokesperson said.
“It is important to note that even when a medication is available, patients may not always be able to immediately fill their prescription at a particular pharmacy,” the Novo Nordisk spokesperson added. “Patients may experience variability at a particular pharmacy location regardless of whether a drug is in shortage.”
This news comes less than a month after Mounjaro and Zepbound, also GLP-1 agonists, were declared to no longer be in shortage after nearly two years.
The end of the shortages for Mounjaro and Zepbound, both forms of tirzepatide, set off an industry-wide dispute from compounding pharmacies who have been able to sell unbranded copies of GLP-1 drugs as long as they’ve been in shortage. The FDA recently said it would reconsider taking tirzepatide off the shortages list.
Companies like Hims & Hers and Noom have been selling compounded semaglutide online, with Hims & Hers buying its own compounding pharmacy. When the tirzepatide shortage ended, the FDA made it clear that compounded versions were not permitted to be sold.
