National shortage of Ozempic leaves many without essential medication

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A nationwide shortage of Ozempic has left patients who need it for medical treatment going weeks without a refill.

It’s all because it has a side effect of major weight loss.

Ozempic has been openly used by several celebrities, which a local pharmacist said likely contributes to the increased demand.

The drug is FDA-approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Another drug in the same class is approved for weight loss, however, Ozempic is prescribed off-label for weight loss.

It’s been heralded as a miracle weight loss drug, but this high demand contributed to a national shortage, leaving patients like Charles Rogers without essential medication.

“I actually went about three weeks without having my medication at all because I couldn’t get it,” he said.

Charles has Type 2 diabetes. He takes a medication similar to Ozempic that’s also affected by the shortage.

Going without this medication causes his health to fluctuate.

“It really makes you feel really bad and just kind of blah, not very good. And it’s because your blood sugar’s all over the, all over the charts,” he added.

One local pharmacy can barely keep the drug in stock. Wednesday afternoon, they had one box.

“I have spoken with a ton of providers who are getting bombarded with patients, of course, seeing everything that’s going on in the media,” said Bessem Oben, Director of Clinical Services at GoldStar Pharmacy.

There have even been cases of patients trying to get a prescription, even when they don’t need it.

“With all the media and the rave, and so there’s the risk of patients who are getting it maybe from a wrong source,” she said.

Charles says he’s worried about the long-term consequences.

“It’s certainly stressful to not know for sure if I’m gonna be able to get my medicine when I need it,” he said.

Ozempic isn’t the only drug of its kind facing a shortage. Brands like Mounjaro are in a similar situation.

”A lot of them are injectables and so they’re just once a week, and so missing that week really interrupts that therapeutic outcome, and it’s not just as easy to switch from one to another,” Bessem said.

Charles said this problem has been ongoing for the past few months, and he hopes supply catches up with demand.