National Ozempic shortage impacting locals with diabetes, pharmacists

Persistent shortages of a popular diabetes drug used off-label for weight loss means some Calgarianswith diabetes are making do without, while others seek outremaining stock.

The 1 mg pen dose of Ozempic, a prescription drug that isapproved in Canada to treat adult patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, has been in short supply since August of this year.

According to the company that markets the drug in Canada, other smallerdosages of the drug are still available across Canada.

Novo Nordisk said in an email to CBC news that supply challenges and increased demand for the product are to blame.

Previously, some doctors and ethics experts have criticized the company for aggressively marketing both Ozempic and Rybelsus, another oral format of the drug semaglutide, in Canada due to concerns that people will seek out prescriptions for cosmetic weight loss.

Kerry Rasmussen says she hasn't been able to find any of the 1 mg once-a-week injection pens on the shelves in Calgary and she's had to make do with a daily oral substitute.

Rasmussen developed Type 2 diabetes in 2009 after first having gestational diabetes, she says Ozempicchanged her life, she had more energy andher blood sugar levels were stable.

Now, she frustrated at having to use an alternative that requires daily habit changes.

"I don't have a lot of flexibility, like I do with theOzempic," she said.

Ozempic has been approved for use in Canada since 2018, but its popularity, and the subsequent demand for the product, has grown. The diabetes drug can be prescribed off-label for weight loss.

"There have been reports, including in news and social media, that Ozempic is being used for weight loss. This is not an indication approved by Health Canada," reads Health Canada's website.

When asked for comment on Ozempic's off-label use, Health Canada replied in an email that "[The] decision to prescribe a drug for off-label use is part of the 'practice of medicine,'which involves the health care professional diagnosing a patient's symptoms and deciding which treatment would be most appropriate for that patient."

David Brewerton manages a pharmacyin northeast Calgary and says they receiveabout two calls an hour from people seeking Ozempic.

"We are getting constant calls," he said.

Brewerton says they currently don't have any stock of the brand-name drug. Theydo have a compounder who makessemaglutide that theyorder from, but thattakes time, and the drugdoesn't have as long a shelf life.

To add to that, he says insurance companies are becoming more stringent in what they will cover.

"Alot of insurance companies say, 'No, we'll cover it under certain conditions.So [we'll cover it] for diabetes, but we won't cover it if it's for weight loss,'That's common," he said.

Ozempic lowers blood sugarand has the side effect of slowing digestion and making people feel full sooner, says Dr. David Lau, anendocrinologistand a professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

"People who take Ozempic on a weekly basis tend to lose weight, in particular, lose body fat," he said.

"It has become quite popular, primarily because of the weight loss benefits of this medication in additionto its benefits in terms of lowering the blood sugar."

Dr. Lausays the injectable medication is also "much more powerful" than the comparable oral medication available in Canada in terms of its impact on blood sugar, adding to its appeal.

Health Canada says it is conserving existing supply of the drug, and monitoring supplies of other formats of the drug during the temporary shortage, and that patientsshould talk to their health-care provider about what options are available to them.

Novo Nordisk say that they are currently working to increase manufacturing capacity to meet demand, and in the short-term, patients should only fill their prescriptions up to 30 days and try reaching out to their pharmacist to ensure continued supply.

According to Health Canada, Novo Nordisk has advised themthat the shortage of the Ozempic 1 mg pens is expected to resolve on Oct.16.