This image taken on October 23, 2023, reveals Ozempic medicine bins, an injectable antidiabetic drug, in a pharmacy in Riedisheim, jap France. —picture by Sebastien Bozon/Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — Since he switched to a “more healthy way of life” this month, Markie, a 33-year-old public college instructor, has been noticing a wave of commercials assuring him of a “secure and quick” technique to drop a few pounds.
One advert he discovered on social media “supplied a drug with the identical lively ingredient as Ozempic,” the model title of drugs used to deal with diabetes and weight problems in some international locations. It has gained recognition amongst individuals who need to slim down, resulting in a worldwide scarcity in provide since 2022, together with within the Philippines.
READ: My life on Ozempic, the so-called weight-loss ‘miracle drug’
In keeping with the advert, those that avail themselves of the provide for a one-time cost of P7,800 will probably be injected with the drug as soon as per week for six weeks, topic to the approval of a physician who may be consulted on-line. As soon as authorized, the medication will probably be delivered to the affected person’s residence by way of a “free and discreet” service.
“It’s tempting, however I didn’t undergo with it as a result of I need my weight reduction journey to be pure,” Markie advised the Inquirer on Sunday.
In its alert on June 19, the World Well being Group (WHO) warned about pretend shares of Ozempic (generic title: semaglutide).
READ: Risking lives for vainness
Multinational firm Novo Nordisk confirmed that three batches of the favored drug “misrepresent their id and supply as they weren’t manufactured” by the corporate.
‘Severe dangers’
Batch No. LP6F832 shouldn’t be acknowledged, the corporate stated, whereas the mix of batch No. NAR0074 with serial No. 430834149057 doesn’t correspond with real manufacturing information. The third batch with quantity MP5E511 is real however the product is falsified.
“The usage of falsified Ozempic could consequence within the ineffective remedy of sufferers as a consequence of incorrect dosage, contamination with dangerous substances, or use of unknown or substituted elements,” WHO stated. “It could pose different severe dangers to well being due to its subcutaneous injection administration that could possibly be life-threatening.”
Within the Philippines, Ozempic has been registered with the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2020, though diabetes sufferers have additionally complained in regards to the scarcity in shares, forcing some to show to the black market.
Whereas a single dose of Ozempic is offered in big-chain drugstores for P7,650, the value can go up in on-line shops and unregulated marketplaces on social media.
However, a 500 mg pill of metformin, which is the principle first-line medicine for the remedy of sort 2 diabetes, is offered for lower than P4.
FDA spokesperson Pamela Sevilla stated earlier that Novo Nordisk had knowledgeable authorities in 2022 a few worldwide scarcity of the drug as a consequence of an “surprising improve in demand as a consequence of off-label prescribing” for weight reduction.
Off-label prescribing occurs when a drug is prescribed to deal with circumstances aside from these authorized by the FDA. It’s a authorized and common incidence, significantly within the remedy of unusual ailments and circumstances.
“However the FDA has no jurisdiction to control the choice of docs in the event that they use their scientific judgment to prescribe Ozempic for different well being circumstances, except for diabetes,” Sevilla stated.
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The FDA as an alternative referred to as on its mother or father company, the Division of Well being, in addition to the Philippine Medical Affiliation, to control how docs prescribe Ozempic for off-label use.
