FDA hasn’t approved medications for type 2 diabetes for weight-loss - doesn’t that tell you something?

The process under which the FDA approves drugs is highly structured and slow-moving. In many cases, the company that develops a new drug finds in its trials that there are multiple benefits, but the cost involved in applying for each one of these separately is prohibitive, so they go for the one that will yield the best return on their massive investment. This is the case for semaglutide, the generic name of Ozempic. Just a few months after the release of Ozempic for T2D (which was highly successful on its own), considerable feedback came in that many people were losing substantial amounts of unwanted weight. Novo Nordisk conducted further research, and the results strongly supported this.

Ozempic gives adverse side effects. Isn’t it too dangerous?

Start at the beginning, and maybe read a bit more here. Almost without exception, drugs come with side effects. The question is whether the benefits outweigh the risks. In the case of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists, the benefits for diabetics outstrip the positive elements of the older alternatives. On the risk side, Ozempic brings a degree of risk that is not substantially higher than other treatments for T2D. So on balance, there is normally a strong case to be made for Ozempic for almost every patient, based on the prescribing physician’s evaluation of the specifics relating to this person.

Should you ever use medications for type 2 diabetes to improve how you look?

This is the hardest question for a pharmacist like me to answer. If the only requirement is to improve the image in a mirror and in other people’s eyes, then this in fact is a valid question. Does a person gain anything when their waistline has shrunk six inches and they can fit back into the clothes they had stuck away several years ago? It can be said that in such a case, the person can gain self-respect, an improved sense of self-worth, and more self-confidence. It’s all about “self” and only the people themselves can judge this. On the other hand, doesn’t a person face risks when their own self-esteem and sense of self-worth are diminished by that unwanted image? It could severely affect their mental and emotional well-being and lead to unwanted behavior and poor decisions. I have learned to leave it to each customer to make this decision, but I think it can only be made objectively if they understand the full benefits (and risks) that come with the medicine. That’s why I spend a lot of time and effort making these facts available both in person and on our website.

Ozempic is so expensive - can it be worth it?

We are often asked why is Ozempic so expensive. There are three ways to answer this question. Firstly, Ozempic is a long way down on the list of costly medicines. It doesn’t come anywhere on the list of the top twenty in monthly costs, coming in at barely one-tenth of the lowest-priced drug on that table! Secondly, it’s important to realize that it is priced differently depending on the purpose. Prescriptions for Ozempic to treat T2D should be covered by health insurance or a government health plan. In such a case, the out-of-pocket cost can be quite reasonable - sometimes as low as $25 per month, rarely exceeding $300 per month for people with low levels of insurance coverage. Given the great benefits, this is hardly an excessive cost. However, when Ozempic is prescribed off-label for weight loss not for diabetes, then most health plans don’t cover it. That’s when a consumer prescribed Ozempic will pay the full retail price of about $1000-$1200 per month in local US pharmacies. But, US retail pharmacy prices are by far the highest in the world. So the question is not whether you can afford to buy Ozempic, but whether you should buy it at a US retail pharmacy, or from us here at IsraelPharm, where we can charge less than one-half of the average US retail price for Ozempic.

I can never get hold of Ozempic - why is it out of stock all the time?

Shortages of Ozempic persisted all through 2022 and the first half of 2023. This wasn’t unique to Ozempic. The US Government Department of Health and Human Services reported to Congress that “drug shortages are an ongoing concern in the United States…and impact consumer costs in various ways.” In fact, many diabetic patients who had been treated successfully with Ozempic were switched by their doctors to other older medications because of the risks they faced from being unable to get reliable supplies. Here at IsraelPharm, we have secured much more reliable sources of supply of Ozempic, and have also negotiated a way that other scarce drugs like compounded version of Mounjaro can be supplied without delay. Although right now we are restricting orders to a single monthly dose, this will continue to ease over the next few months, so stay tuned.

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Expert opinion: Considering Ozempic for weight loss isn’t reckless

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