Like many Americans who struggle to lose weight, Marissa Montagnino has tried Ozempic or any of the other new so-called “magic bullets” said to be revolutionary in the fight against obesity. I felt I had to try it.
“I was training sometimes three times a day and taking hours of classes. My diet was really, really clean… and nothing changed,” the 36-year-old esthetician told AFP in a recent interview. told.
“I had been hearing about Ozempic for a while, but then I started seeing other people do it like celebrities and then lose weight super quickly,” she said.
Fearing gastrointestinal problems as a side effect of the medication, Montagnino sought reassurance from clients at the studio and in a Facebook support group.
“I was scared. I was so nervous. I was scared of throwing up,” she said.
Montanino finally decided to take the leap and was prescribed “compounded” semaglutide rather than Ozempic, made by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
It's an option many in the U.S. are eyeing over the cost and supply issues of brand-name drugs, but experts and officials say there are potential risks.
More than 40% of Americans suffer from obesity, reflecting a massive health crisis and a large market for Ozempic drugs.
Samuel Klein, a research doctor at Washington University in St. Louis, told AFP that its “groundbreaking” efficacy would make the drug a “first-line treatment for obese people.”
～Surge in demand～
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in both Ozempic, approved in 2017 to treat diabetes, and Novo Nordisk's Wigovy, approved in 2021 to treat obesity.
In addition to the millions of diabetic and obese patients who seek the drug, countless patients without serious health problems also ask their doctors to prescribe it “off-label.”
Interest has skyrocketed, with celebrities including Elon Musk saying they are taking the drug to lose weight.
“The big problem is that drugs are hard to come by right now,” Klein said. “Not enough medicines are being made.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently classifies semaglutide and tirzepatide, the compounds Eli Lilly uses in its drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, as “in short supply.”
The designation means some restrictions may be lifted and compounding of drugs that are “essentially copies of approved drugs” may be allowed, the FDA said.
Compounding, the creation of a custom drug, has historically been used when a patient has an allergy to a drug's ingredients.
Obesity expert Andrea Coviello told AFP she was concerned that patients were taking compound weight loss drugs, which are often ordered online.
Some of her patients who say they've tried the combination drugs have lost weight, but “we don't know what these patients are actually receiving,” said the UNC School of Medicine professor and physician. said.
Montagnino, who is just over 5 feet (1.53 meters) tall, said she went from 157 pounds (71.2 kilograms) to about 130 pounds in less than six months with weekly injections. Her goal is 125 pounds.
She said that in a group chat with others taking the weight loss drug, only one person used the brand name Wegovy, and that “everyone is very happy.”
– “My skin is happier” –
U.S. authorities have warned that compounded drugs pose “a higher risk to patients than FDA-approved drugs” because compounded drugs “have not undergone FDA premarket review for safety, efficacy, or quality.” .
The company did not provide further details, but said it had “received reports of adverse events after patients used combination semaglutide.”
If you search online for compounded weight loss drugs, you'll find several retailers offering to mail the drugs to you.
Advertised prices are much lower than brand name sticker prices, but not necessarily lower than if insured.
Montanino said she initially paid $300 for a three-month supply, but as the doses increase over time, that could end up costing $300 a month. Told.
Given the rapidly increasing demand for the drug, it is unclear when it will be removed from the shortage list.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly already make billions of dollars in quarterly profits from their own branded weight-loss drugs, but could make even more if they can lift the “shortage” designation and ramp up production. will be possible.
The companies have also filed multiple lawsuits against compounding pharmacies, which are pending in court.
Despite the uncertainty, Montagnino said he plans to continue using drugs “for the rest of his life” if possible.
She and her husband also lost 50 pounds, and celebrated their weight loss by retaking their wedding photos on their first anniversary.
“I'm happy in my skin. I'm happy with how my clothes fit. I hate to say that…but for me, it makes me feel good.” Become.”
Death/Bucks
