The Danish laboratory Novo Nordisk recommended this Wednesday that health professionals in France prescribe its antidiabetic drug Ozempic only to patients already treated, to guarantee continuity of care, in a context of explosion in global demand.
The Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) warned for its part that supply tensions are expected “throughout 2024” for Ozempic (starting dose of 0.25 mg).
This drug is very popular on social media for its weight loss properties, which has caused stock shortages, especially in Australia. It belongs to the family of drugs analogous to GLP-1, an intestinal hormone that secretes insulin and sends a satiety signal to the brain.
An increasingly misused use?
“When the laboratory has recovered sufficient reserves, we will be able to restart the start of treatment,” Dr. Isabelle Yoldjian, medical director of the ANSM, told AFP.
At the same time, Novo Nordisk has decided to limit the production of Victoza, an analogue of the first generation GLP-1, less in demand than the second generation of which Ozempic is a part.
An arbitration adopted “to improve Ozempic’s benefits,” explained the spokesperson. According to the ANSM, the supply of Victoza “will be reduced in the city at least until the end of the second quarter of 2024.”
In recent months, the laboratory has increased its investment announcements in all its large production centers, including the one in Chartres, of 2,000 million euros, but the effect will not be immediate.
Source: BFM TV
