National Ozempic shortage affecting diabetic residents and pharmacists | Radio-Canada News

Continuing shortages of a popular diabetes drug used off-label for weight loss means some diabetic Calgarians are having to go without it, while others are seeking extra supplies.

The 1 mg pen dose of Ozempic, a prescription drug approved 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, lower doses of the drug are still available across Canada.

Novo Nordisk said in an email to CBC News that supply issues and increased demand for the product were to blame.

Previously, some doctors and ethics experts have criticized the company for aggressively marketing Ozempic and Rybelsus, another oral form of the drug semaglutide, in Canada due to concerns that people are seeking weight loss prescriptions for aesthetic.

Kerry Rassmussen says she was unable to find 1 mg once-a-week injection pens on shelves in Calgary and had to settle for a daily oral substitute.

Rassmussen developed type 2 diabetes in 2009 after initially suffering from gestational diabetes. She says Ozempi changed her life, she had more energy and her blood sugar levels were stable.

Today, she is frustrated at having to resort to an alternative that requires daily habit changes.

“I don’t have a lot of flexibility, like I do with Ozempic,” she said.

Ozempic has been approved for use in Canada since 2018, but its popularity and resulting demand for the product has increased. Diabetes medication may be prescribed off-label to lose weight.

“Information has been reported, particularly in the media and on social networks, according to which Ozempic is used for weight loss. This is not an indication approved by Health Canada,” we can read on the site Health Canada website.

When asked for comment on the off-label use of Ozempic, Health Canada responded in an email: “[The] The decision to prescribe a medication for off-label use is part of the “practice of medicine,” which involves the healthcare professional diagnosing a patient’s symptoms and deciding what treatment would be most appropriate for that patient.

David Brewerton runs a pharmacy in northeast Calgary and says he gets about two calls an hour from people looking for Ozempic.

“We get constant calls,” he said.

Brewerton says they currently have no stock of the brand name drug. They have a compounder that makes the semaglutide that they order from, but it takes time and the drug doesn’t have as long a shelf life.

To add to that, he says insurance companies are getting stricter about what they cover.

“A lot of insurance companies say, ‘No, we’ll cover it under certain conditions.’ [we’ll cover it] for diabetes, but we won’t cover it if it’s for weight loss: “It’s common,” he said.

Ozempic lowers blood sugar and has the side effect of slowing digestion and making you feel full faster, says Dr. David Lau, an endocrinologist and professor at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

“People who take Ozempic on a weekly basis tend to lose weight, especially body fat,” he said.

“It has become very popular, mainly because of the weight loss benefits of this drug, in addition to its blood sugar lowering benefits.“

Dr. Lausa says the injectable drug is also “much more potent” than comparable oral medications available in Canada in terms of its impact on blood sugar levels, adding to its appeal.

Health Canada says it is retaining the existing supply of the drug and monitoring supplies of other formats of the drug during the temporary shortage, and that patients should talk to their health care provider about their options.

Novo Nordisk says it is currently working to increase its manufacturing capacity to meet demand and that in the short term, patients should only fill their prescriptions for up to 30 days and try to contact their pharmacist to ensure a continuous supply.

According to Health Canada, Novo Nordisk has informed them that the Ozempic 1 mg pen shortage is expected to be resolved on October 16.