Shortages of weight loss drugs such as newly launched Ozempic rival Zepbound are forcing desperate customers to drive up to five hours to find pharmacies that stock the expensive drug. ing.
Zepbound, released by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly last November, is in limited supply until the end of this month due to “increased demand,” according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Patients seeking the 5 mg and 12.5 mg doses of the drug will have to wait due to “limited availability,” the FDA said.
A Reddit thread dedicated to Zepbound users included stories from people who had trouble obtaining the drug, which costs $1,100 for a month’s supply.
“Last night I drove 5 hours round trip from St. Cloud to Alexandria, MN,” a Minnesota woman wrote on Reddit.
She managed to obtain one box of 5mg injections and one box of 7.5mg injections, she wrote.
of Reddit thread Includes anecdotes from other users who have had trouble filling prescriptions.
“Anyone lucky? I called every Walgreens and Costco I could find within an hour of Minneapolis and was told they don’t have it in stock right now and expect it to be in mid-May.” One Zepbound seeker writes:
A Lilly spokeswoman said the company plans to increase production spending to address supply concerns.
“We recognize that this situation can cause disruption to people’s treatment plans and are working to address it with purpose and urgency,” the spokesperson said. .
“While we expect supply to be intermittent in the short term due to unprecedented demand, we expect production at Mounjaro and Zepbound to gradually increase throughout the second half of 2024 due to investments in manufacturing and supply capacity.” .”
Last November, the FDA approved Zepbound as a weight loss management treatment for obese patients.
Zepbound is sold as a diabetes drug under the name Mounjaro, as both drugs contain the same active ingredient, tirzepatide.
Mounjaro, also made by Eli Lilly, is approved by the FDA to treat type 2 diabetes, but some doctors prescribe the drug “off-label” for weight loss.
Munjaro availability is also limited due to “increased demand”.
Eli Lilly sold more than $5 billion worth of Mounjaro last year, according to the company. Last year’s revenue soared to $34 billion, an increase of 20% compared to 2022.
Lilly said Zepbound brought in $176 million in sales through Dec. 31.
Denmark’s Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wigovy, also made billions of dollars selling weight loss drugs.
Ozempic had sales of about $13.9 billion last year, and Wegovy had sales of about $4.5 billion.
Two-thirds of Ozempic’s sales were US-based, while more than 90% of Wegovy’s sales went to US customers.
