Yearslong shortage of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs is
resolved, FDA says
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 [February 22, 2025]
Shortages of Ozempic and Wegovy that have been in place for more
than two years have been resolved, as supplies of the popular diabetes
and obesity treatments continue to improve, federal regulators said
Friday.
The drugmaker Novo Nordisk can meet current and future demand in the
U.S., the Food and Drug Administration said. But patients may still see
some supply disruptions as the medications move from the manufacturer to
distributors and then to pharmacies.
The injectable drugs have been in shortage since 2022.
Compounding pharmacies and other entities that have been allowed to make
and distribute off-brand copies of the drugs during the shortage will
have to wind down production in the next few months, the FDA said.
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|
 In December, the agency said the
same thing when it declared that shortages had ended for Eli Lilly
and Co.'s Zepbound and Mounjaro. Zepbound is approved to treat
obesity and Mounjaro is approved for diabetes. They use the same
active ingredient, tirzepatide.
Ozempic, for diabetes, and Wegovy, for weight loss,
use the active ingredient semaglutide.
All four drugs are part of a GLP-1 class of treatments that has
shown unprecedented results for helping people shed weight by
decreasing appetite and boosting feelings of fullness.
Sales have soared for the drugs in recent years. But the shortages
and challenges with insurance coverage have made it difficult for
many patients to get the drugs.
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