{"id":2430,"date":"2023-11-14T23:49:25","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T07:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/?p=2430"},"modified":"2023-11-15T00:02:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T08:02:06","slug":"understanding-the-ozempic-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/understanding-the-ozempic-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Ozempic Options"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janice Harvey, RPh, CDE<\/p>\n

There are many drug shortages in the Canadian market, but perhaps the one that is garnering the most discussion is Ozempic. Why is that? How long do we expect it to last? And what can we do about it?<\/p>\n

Why is Ozempic in such demand?<\/h4>\n

Ozempic is one of a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). These medications help with weight loss by suppressing appetite and delaying gastric emptying, both of which cause you to eat less, because you feel full after eating. For diabetes, when people lose weight, their cells become more sensitive to insulin. At the same time, GLP-1 RAs cause the body to release more insulin in response to food intake, which results in sugar moving into cells to provide energy, thus lowering the amount of glucose in the blood stream (known as \u201cblood sugars\u201d or \u201cblood glucose\u201d). In addition, drugs in this class reduce cardiovascular risk.<\/p>\n

Sounds like a winning combination, doesn\u2019t it? With so many people using it for different purposes, no wonder the manufacturer is having a hard time producing enough to meet demand.<\/p>\n

How long is the shortage expected to last?<\/h4>\n

Initially, the shortage involved only the 1 mg pen, but then more people switched to using the starter pen, which allows for either a 0.25 mg dose or a 0.5 mg dose, sometimes getting two pens to get the same amount of Ozempic. This has led to there being a shortage of both pens. While the shortage was originally expected to last until the end of October 2023 for the 1 mg pen only, Novo Nordisk (the manufacturer) has now expanded this to include both pens and extended the date to the end of March 2024.<\/p>\n

Are pharmacies still able to get Ozempic?<\/h4>\n

Yes \u2026 and no. Pharmacies are receiving very limited supplies (called allocations) of Ozempic and deliveries are not consistent. For example, we are allotted 1 or 2 of each pen each day. But in reality, we might receive one of each pen per day for two days and then nothing for the rest of the week.<\/p>\n

Novo Nordisk is encouraging pharmacies to limit refills to one pen (we really don\u2019t have any other choice) and suggest that patients contact their pharmacies well in advance of running out of their current supply. We suggest that you let us know the date of your next injection after finishing your last dose (this would be 7 days after your last dose). We have started a list of our patients taking Ozempic and their injection dates so we can distribute pens fairly and ensure patients are not missing doses. We get several phone calls every day asking for Ozempic. However, we are filling Ozempic prescriptions for our own patients only to ensure that we have a sufficient supply.<\/p>\n

Are there alternatives?<\/h4>\n

Yes, other options do exist.<\/p>\n