The European Union’s drug regulator urged countries to clamp down on cosmetic use of powerful drugs for weight loss and diabetes, saying that patients who need the medicines most must get priority as shortages continue.
Member states should consider “measures to control and optimize distribution of these medicines,” the umbrella group that monitors EU drug-supply issues said Wednesday. Drugmakers will also need to ensure that their marketing messages are cleared by regulatory authorities, the group said.
The success of Novo Nordisk A/S’s Ozempic and Wegovy as well as blockbuster shots made by rival Eli Lilly & Co., which can help people lose unprecedented amounts of weight, has left some patients with diabetes struggling to continue their treatment.
The shortages will probably not be resolved this year, Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency, said at a press conference. “We cannot ignore that there is a rise in off-label use by people who are not living with diabetes,” she said.
The obesity versions of the medicines have been slower to roll out in Europe, stoking demand for the sister products intended for diabetes. Up-front negotiating on price is often part of talks with European public health-care systems, unlike in the more lucrative US market.
Using diabetes drugs such as Ozempic for weight loss will make shortages worse, EU regulators said on Wednesday. They urged doctors to prescribe the treatments only in line with their approved uses and in particular to avoid prescriptions for cosmetic weight loss. People who don’t have obesity or weight-related health problems should get lifestyle advice instead, it said.
In Europe, Ozempic and Lilly’s Mounjaro are approved for diabetes. Mounjaro is also cleared for obesity, where it retains the same brand name — unlike in the US where it’s sold as Zepbound. Novo’s Wegovy and its older drug Saxenda are also available for weight management in Europe.
The EU regulator warned patients not to try to circumvent the system by buying weight-loss drugs online without a prescription, citing the risk of getting a fake product that could be dangerous.
