Ozempic isn’t just for Hollywood stars: its reputation for helping people lose weight has led to a surge in demand for the drug, including in Greece, where demand has soared since last year, especially in the run-up to the summer.
The drug is usually only given to diabetics with a doctor’s prescription, but it is becoming increasingly popular without a prescription among people who simply want to lose weight, even if they have no health problems.
Kathimerini said he understood that Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company that makes the drug, had doubled its imports to Greece since last year. But supplies are not enough to meet demand, with many foreigners buying large quantities because of Ozempic’s low price in Greece, including buyers from Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, the United States, France and Italy.
“In Greece, you can go to a pharmacy and buy medicines out of your own pocket, with or without a prescription. Most pharmacies sell them because the current laws on prescription drugs are not fully enforced,” says Chrysanthi Sarderi, an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
It is not yet known whether there are any long-term side effects, but use of the drug appears to be gaining popularity as a “lifestyle” adjunct.
Another drug from the same company, Wegovi, which is not yet available in Greece, is only used to manage obesity, while the injectable drug Ozempic has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as an anti-diabetic drug since 2017, she said.
“It regulates insulin secretion from the pancreas, providing better control over diabetes,” she explains.
However, it also reduces appetite and increases stomach fullness, so people who take it eat less and have less cravings for fatty foods.
“Ozempic was initially developed as a diabetes treatment, but it is likely to be used for other indications as well as obesity,” said Giorgos Krousos, head of the endocrinology department at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
“There is no other treatment for obesity. If you are overweight and have the discipline, you can lose weight on your own, but if you are severely obese, you will not lose weight no matter how much you want to. You either take medication or have surgery,” he says.
