After the Food and Drug Administration announced in February that there is no longer a shortage of drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, companies were given until May 22 to stop selling compounded versions of the drugs.
The semaglutide known as Ozempic is intended to be used for people with diabetes. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk later got approval to market Wegovy, a semaglutide that has a different dosage, for weight loss.
RELATED STORY | Hims and Hers likely to stop selling cheaper versions of GLP-1 medications
The drugs have been in short supply since 2022, soon after the FDA approved Wegovy for weight loss purposes.
Novo Nordisk said it made a $6.5 billion investment to increase production in the U.S.
The FDA stated that it could take legal action against companies that have sold unsafe copies of the drug.
When the FDA declared a shortage in 2022, pharmacies were allowed to make compounded versions of the drugs to meet demand. These drugs use the same active ingredients, but Ozempic and Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk claimed this process put patients at risk. However, this also allowed pharmacies to offer these drugs at lower costs.
RELATED STORY | Weight-loss pill from Wegovy makers cut body weight by up to 13% in early trial
Novo Nordisk brought numerous lawsuits against the FDA and companies selling compounded versions of the drugs.
The FDA has claimed that as of April 30, it has received 1,000 reports of adverse side effects caused by compounded GLP-1 medications.
Hims had sold one-month doses of compounded GLP-1 semaglutides starting at $165 per month. The list cost of Wegovy is $1,349, and one dose is generally taken every four weeks. More recently, Hims announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk to sell Wegovy for $599 a dose.
Medications like Wegovy are known as GLP-1 agonists, and many of these drugs were initially prescribed to manage Type 2 diabetes but have since gained popularity for helping patients manage weight. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these medications help manage blood sugar levels by triggering insulin release from the pancreas. The drugs also help slow digestion, which causes less glucose to enter the bloodstream. Additionally, the medicine also affects satiety, allowing patients to feel full after eating, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
