The shortage has also resulted in Smith being up to five days late with her weekly dose. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For more information see our Privacy Policy. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. “I had been on insulin before, but I didn’t like it with all the related issues, like hypoglycemia.” “It has been brilliant in lowering my blood sugar levels and weight,” Smith said, adding the latter has been a side-effect. The senior communications officer has been on the drug for four years. Michele Smith, 62, from Bedford, has been scrambling to get her Ozempic prescription fulfilled for the past six months. People living with type 2 diabetes have told the Guardian the shortages are having a profound impact on their lives. He added: “These shortages have serious clinical implications in the management of people living with type 2 diabetes, both on physical and mental wellbeing, and eisting stock must be conserved for their use.”Ī recent Guardian investigation revealed some online pharmacies are dispatching Ozempic prescriptions for people of a healthy weight who are hoping to slim down. “We understand that off-label prescribing can be beneficial in some circumstances, but we cannot support it when it is directly contributing to ongoing shortages for people living with type 2 diabetes and the impact this has on managing it well,” said Douglas Twenefour, the head of care at Diabetes UK. Now experts and patients are calling for a halt to off-label prescriptions of Ozempic and similar drugs licensed for type 2 diabetes.

It has warned shortages of such drugs can have serious clinical implications for patients with type 2 diabetes, and has told doctors not to start new patients on drugs such as Ozempic. “The guidance is clear that these medicines should only be prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in order to protect supply for diabetes patients,” it said. The DHSC said it strongly discouraged such off-label prescription, which is legal and done at the discretion of the prescriber. But the rush for Ozempic and similar drugs as weight loss medications has contributed to a shortfall for diabetic people, with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) saying supplies of such medications are not expected to return to normal until at least mid-2024.

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