Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Brings Cheaper, Potentially Risky Alternatives

As demand for semaglutide injections outstrips supply, unapproved formulations flood the market, raising safety concerns over substitute ingredients.

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Wildly popular new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are flying off shelves faster than manufacturers can keep up. This high demand has opened the floodgates for unapproved versions of the injectable medication.

This flood stirs safety concerns among regulators as compounding pharmacies rush to peddle their own drug formulations ahead of formal vetting.

Compounding Pharmacies Rush to Meet Demand

Semaglutide was developed by Novo Nordisk and is the active ingredient in Type 2 diabetes treatments Ozempic and Rybelsus and weight-loss drug Wegovy. As a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, it mimics a gut hormone, helping regulate blood sugar and appetite.