STAT+: Novo Nordisk shortage of Ozempic and Wegovy ends, threatening compounders
The FDA has declared an end to the shortage of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug semaglutide, threatening the ability for compounding pharmacies to make copies of Ozempic and Wegovy.
The Food and Drug Administration has declared an end to the shortage of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug semaglutide, threatening the ability for compounding pharmacies to make copies.
Novo’s semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity, had been on the FDA’s drug shortage list for over two years. During that time, patients flocked to compounders, which were allowed to make copies of semaglutide since it was on the shortage list. Patients were also drawn to compounded semaglutide since it was cheaper than the brand-name version, which carries a list price of about $1,000 a month.
It’s unclear what exactly will happen now to compounding pharmacies. The FDA took Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, off the shortage list last year, but a compounding trade group sued the agency, and the case is now being litigated.
