Skinny Jabs Are Out of Stock

Why it's hard to find Saxenda, Ozempic and Wegovy right now

Author

Jodie
July 19, 2023

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WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION NEWS

Skinny Jabs Are Out Of Stock

If youʻve found it hard to get your usual supply of weight loss medication, youʻre not alone. Shortages are been felt pretty much everywhere. Wegovy, Ozempic and now Saxenda are all having supply issues. The drugs are all made by Novo Nordisk which is working hard to keep pharmacies in supply of all types of weight loss medication.

The fact that weight loss drugs have been so popularised on TikTok and other social media has driven a surge in demand, for the drug, both on and off-record. The fact that these drugs are in short supply has also meant other types of weight loss medication are also facing supply issues as patients who canʻt access their usual medication turn to other treatments.

Weight Loss Buzz surveyed leading UK pharmacies this week and found Ozempic and Saxenda were sold out at over 80% of the prescribers we contacted.

Of course, the situation is fluid and pharmacies may quickly restock, but given the high demand and supply issues, any new stock is likely to be sold incredibly quickly by those in the right place at the right time.

What led to the Skinny Jabs Supply Issue?

You may be wondering why the medication youʻve been happily taking recently is suddenly hard to come by. It seems the shortages of Ozempic and Wegovy (and now Saxenda and others) were due to many people using the drug off-label, causing demand to exceed supply.

But as explained by the Conversation, the reason more people are seeking out semaglutide for weight loss in the first place may be “due to social media endorsement and use by celebrities, driving a surge in interest.”

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“This isn’t the first time social media and celebrity endorsement has influenced demand for certain medicines. For instance, the 2022 shortages in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medications in the UK were linked to what has now been dubbed the “Davina McCall effect” after the British TV presenter spoke openly about menopause and using HRT to manage symptoms. This reportedly led to an uptick in demand for these products.”

Novo Nordisk warns of Saxenda supply issues beyond 2023

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of the popular obesity drug Wegovy, is now facing supply challenges with its first-generation weight-loss drug, Saxenda. Due to surging demand, Saxenda will have limited availability until the end of 2023, and the shortage may continue beyond this year. The company attributes the increased demand to a rise in patients seeking Saxenda as an alternative when Wegovy faced manufacturing hurdles.

In response to the limited supply, Novo Nordisk advises patients to discuss alternative treatment options with their doctors. However, other existing obesity therapies also face their own supply issues, further complicating the situation.

To manage demand for Wegovy, Novo Nordisk has taken measures such as temporarily reducing the U.S. supply of low doses of Wegovy. Despite these efforts, it remains a challenge to meet the increasing demand for Saxenda and other obesity medications. The company continues to address the situation, aiming to ensure patients can access their prescribed medications.

Diabetes UK Responds to Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) Supply Issue

The supply issue is clearly a serious one as there is just so much demand at the moment for weight loss injections and weight loss injections (or skinny jabs) are in many cases actually diabetes medication. While Semaglutide will be licensed under the name Wegovy for weight loss, Ozempic is semaglutide for diabetes treatment.

While people wait for Wegovy to be licensed and fully available, they have been using Ozempic instead, causing a supply issue in what is essentially diabetes medication. The supply issue also affects the NHS. This issue is serious, so much so that Diabetes UK has responded recently to the issue.

Reassuringly, they state:

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“People living with type 2 diabetes should be reassured that there are a number of alternative treatments available to help manage their condition. Healthcare professionals should work with patients to find the best course of treatment for them including non-medication based remission programmes where available, taking into account people’s individual needs and concerns.”

You can read their response in full here.

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WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION SUPPLY & AVAILABILITY

From next week, we will be publishing updates on ONLINE weight loss medication availability, in the UK. Many patients are seeking Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda, Mounjaro and other weight loss medications and are having problems finding supply. Some are existing patients with prescriptions, and others are seeking online prescribers with medication available. Weight Loss Buzz will be publishing availability from key suppliers so that health consumers and patients know where to go to find the medication they need.

Here is a brief round-up of stock we found online this week in the UK.
Data was correct as of 19th July 2023.

My London Pharmacy

My London Pharmacy appears to have supply of Ozempic pens at the following prices.

  • Ozempic 0.25mg Pens: £299

  • Ozempic 0.5mg Pens: £449

  • Saxenda 3 pens: £349

  • Saxenda 5 pens: £499

Farmeci

Farmeci had the following Ozempic stock listed on its site.

  • Ozempic 0.25mg Pens £289

  • Ozempic 0.5mg Pens £379

Daily Chemist

Daily Chemist has the following Ozempic pen listed.

  • Ozempic 1 mg Pen (one month) £349.99

We hope you’ve enjoyed Weight Loss Buzz this week. If you have, please share this newsletter with your friends. We wish you every success on your healthy weight loss journey.

Until next time,

The Weight Loss Buzz Team