While we’re talking about how atrocious the current uptick in eating disorder culture and usage of weight loss drugs for those who don’t need them is, let’s also talk about the difficulties it causes for people who DO need them (or medications impacted by them).
Ozempic, Wegovy, Trulicity, and similar compounds mimic the GLP-1 hormone. They signal the pancreas to release more insulin upon high blood sugar and protect the heart and kidneys. They were created primarily for Type 2 Diabetes (insulin resistance) control. They also suppress appetite, hence their application for weight loss.
In 2024, as I think most people know, GLP-1s experienced a massive shortage. People with Type 2 Diabetes and people who needed to lose weight (for MEDICAL PURPOSES) could not get the TREATMENT they needed because so many were using these drugs off label. That deficit is marked as resolved.
So why am I mentioning this?
See, the shortage wasn’t just the GLP-1s themselves, it was their delivery mechanisms: plastic pens, single-use ones. You know what other shortage has been going on? Insulin. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk still experience low supply for several products. Some vials, some penfills, but the group also includes Fiasp FlexTouch prefilled pens (which I currently use) and Levemir Flexpens, both single-use.
Novo Nordisk manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, and Eli Lilly makes Mounjaro. Hm.
Now, I’m not an expert on this. I could be missing a big piece, and I don’t want to spread misinformation. Do your own supplemental research, come to your own conclusions.
But these companies are loud about the fact that they do not care. It’s not as profitable for them anymore. Novo Nordisk has stopped focusing on cell therapy and diabetes cures. They’ve announced that they’ll be discontinuing several kinds of insulin from 2024 - 2026. Both them and Eli Lilly are actively pivoting towards this more ‘marketable’ and monetarily satisfying venture.
In addition, the GLP-1 struggle isn’t really over either. The FDA’s proclamation partially halted compounded formulas, but demand remains high, and so do prices. PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM STILL STRUGGLE TO GET THEM, AND NOW, ALSO STRUGGLE TO PROVE THAT THEY DO.
I hesitate to stray to the anecdotal, but this isn’t merely data for me. It’s my life. I have experienced insulin pen shortages through Novo Nordisk. I have had to ration my LIFE-SAVING MEDICATION. I know many, many people who have had to do the same. And it worsened at the same time as GLP-1 usage exploded.
It’s interesting. That’s all.
