NYC Council Rep proposes law to warn about Ozempic’s side effects

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by carl campanile

Forget about budget issues. The City Council is concerned about a different kind of tightening.

A new bill currently being considered by City Council members would require health officials to warn New Yorkers about the dangers of taking Ozempic and other diabetes drugs to lose weight.

This is how the medicine turned out Diet craze among celebrities Tracy Morgan, Oprah Winfrey, Amy Schumer, Elon Musk and more are reportedly taking it to lose weight.

Boy George even called Ozempic a “magic bullet.”

But City Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) feels the drug is difficult to take, and has proposed a bill that would require the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to publish information about the drug’s “adverse effects” due to “off-label use.” I support it. For weight loss. ”

These effects include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and low blood sugar.

Menin also said that for patients with life-threatening diabetes, it is more important than losing weight to avoid depleting the supply of medicines for dieters when they are desperately needed.

More than 1 million of the city’s 8.5 million residents have diabetes, or more than 1 in 10 residents.

Data reveals that diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the Big Apple.

“With the increasing off-label use of these products for weight loss purposes only, we need to ensure that patients suffering from diabetes do not face difficulties obtaining this drug,” Menin told the Post.

“Furthermore, these drugs have serious health risks, and it is important that health departments disseminate information so that individuals are fully aware of these risks.”

Ozempic is the most prescribed type 2 diabetes and obesity treatment in the country.

Prescriptions for the drug soared from 1.5 million in 2019 to 9 million by the end of 2022 as it became more popular for weight loss.

About 4 million people are taking Ozempic and similar drugs Wigovy and Munjaro to lose weight, according to data compiled by Menins’ office.

In fact, although the bill does not name the drugs it targets, Menin said it targets Ozempic and similar drugs.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved Ozempic for weight loss, doctors are known to approve it for weight loss anyway, a practice known as “off-label” prescribing. .

Wegovy and Mounjaro have been given such approval.

The bill was first considered by the City Council Health Committee, whose chair, Queens Councilwoman Lynn Schulman, has signed on as a co-sponsor.

Novo Nordisk, the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company that makes Ozempic and Wigovy, did not immediately comment on the bill.

However, the company noted that Ozempic is FDA-approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, improving blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.

“Ozempic is not approved for chronic weight management,” the company said in a fact sheet.

“We urge health care professionals to prescribe our medicines according to FDA-approved indications.”

It also makes Wegovy, which is FDA-approved for “chronic weight management” for people who are obese or overweight.

The company said it is ramping up Wegovy’s supply and distribution.

“It is important to recognize that overall demand continues to outstrip supply, which means some patients may still have difficulty filling prescriptions for Wegovy,” the fact sheet states. .

A spokesperson for Mayor Adams said, “We will consider the bill as soon as it is submitted.”

Adams, a self-described vegan, has led campaigns in city governments, hospitals and schools to expand plant-based food options to help curb obesity and diabetes. Excess body fat causes diabetes.