CNN
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Telehealth and social media are playing a key role in driving demand for Ozempic, a prescription drug that treats type 2 diabetes, experts told CNN. Current drug shortages limit access for diabetics who rely on medications to control blood sugar levels.
Digital health companies are making drugs like Ozempic more accessible by offering prescriptions online. Many advertise quick and easy (sometimes same day) access.
“Anecdotally, it’s almost easy to get drugs [via digital health companies]’ said Disha Narang, Ph.D., an endocrinologist and director of obesity medicine at Lake Forest Hospital Northwestern Medicine. “But it’s not always the safest.” People who filled out an average weight on the online intake form were still being offered anti-diabetic medications, Narang told CNN.
According to MarketData Enterprises, an independent market research and consulting firm, the prescription weight loss drug market is growing significantly thanks to the popularity of Ozempic. The market has outperformed his forecasters in 2022 and is expected to become a nearly $2 billion industry in 2023.
WeightWatchers has also entered the field of telemedicine prescriptions. The company last week acquired Sequence, a telehealth subscription service that connects patients to doctors who can prescribe weight-loss and diabetes medications.
“At the beginning of 2022, these companies were not pitching anything like this,” Narang said, noting that advertising for Ozempic began in 2022.
Dr. Bree Holtz, an associate professor of telemedicine research at Michigan State University, told CNN that there are few uniform requirements when it comes to the intake process for digital health companies. Once a patient completes the required form online, the information will be forwarded to providers in the state who can fill the prescription. Some companies require patients to hop on a video or phone call with their provider, while others require neither.
“It’s a little scary to be able to get these appointments just by waking up or getting these medications and not getting care.
Telehealth has been a game changer in providing access to healthcare, especially during the pandemic. Direct-to-consumer telemedicine services can also help bridge the gap, especially for people living where quality primary care is not available, says Laurie Buis, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan. says Dr. Focus on digital health.
But when patients start seeking selective care from selective providers, it opens the door to problems such as fragmented care and abuse, Buis said. Telemedicine providers may not have access to a patient’s complete medical history and may not be able to provide the holistic care that their primary care physician could otherwise provide.
“There is no doubt that some of these services are working well,” Buis said. “There are some services that we don’t take that seriously. And that’s a concern.”
The US Food and Drug Administration first announced a shortage of Ozempic last August. Supply is likely to be tight until mid-March, According to the FDA drug shortage database.
Ozempic prescriptions in the US reached a record high with more than 373,000 prescriptions filled in the last week of February, according to JP Morgan analysis. IQVIA data Shared with CNN. This is an increase of 111% compared to the same week in 2022.
More than half of these were new prescriptions, according to CNN’s review of JP Morgan’s analysis.
As many patients rely on Ozempic to treat their diabetes, healthcare providers like Narang are scrambling to find alternatives to treat their patients.
“I get messages every day that patients can’t get their medicine,” Narang said. “It’s hard for both patients and providers.”
Ozempic currently holds more than 40% of the US market share for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, a class of drugs that mimic appetite-regulating hormones, according to JP Morgan analysis. These drugs work by stimulating the release of insulin, which helps lower blood sugar levels. It also slows down the passage of food through the intestine.
Ozempic has grown rapidly in popularity since it first hit the market in 2018. The drug has been used safely and successfully to improve blood sugar levels in diabetics and put diabetes into remission, Narang told his CNN. Ozempic is the most potent of all her GLP-1 drugs, she said.
Behind the brand name Ozempic is the drug semaglutide. Ozempic is primarily used to treat his type 2 diabetes, while another drug named Wegovy (also known as semaglutide) is specifically approved for chronic weight management.
nevertheless Approved by FDA in 2021According to Narang, Wegovy wasn’t readily available for most of the last year, so people turned to Ozempic. According to the FDA drug shortage databaseWegovy has been in short supply since the end of March last year, but stocks are back at the beginning of this year.
In early 2023, social media buzz about the two drugs circulated. Celebrities shared testimonials about how semaglutide helped them shed unwanted pounds. Elon MuskFor example, Ozempic and Wegovy have publicly acknowledged some of their weight loss.
#Ozempic and #Wegovy have been “extremely popular” on TikTok over the past few months. According to company analysis.
Using Ozempic and Wegovy for short-term weight loss has shown real results in patients who need these drugs most for diabetes treatment and chronic weight management, Narang said. . For example, some insurers have reportedly denied Wegovy coverage in the past. Some call it a “vanity drug.”
Both drugs are intended for long-term use, not short-term weight loss. Their appetite-regulating effects disappear as soon as you stop taking them.
“This is not a drug to get rid of the last five or ten pounds in preparation for an event or anything like that. It’s not meant to be used for three to four weeks,” Narang said. “When we think about weight management, we’re thinking about someone’s next 25 years of life.”
