It was a boom. When the news spread, many Spanish diabetics reported that they could not access their medication, Ozempic, because they had run out of stock in 2022. An episode that was repeat this year, and in several autonomous communities.
The reason? Ozempic also works to curb obesity, and quite a few professionals have begun prescribing it. As an example, for the first time in the last forty years, the number of obese people over 20 in the US has begun to decline.
From Ozempic to a generation of drugs
In Spain, since the first news came out, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) warned of possible shortages.
The two main reasons why Ozempic and other GLP-1 analogue drugs have remained under medical prescription have been both the need for monitoring after use, and the aim of ensuring that patients with type 2 diabetes do not go without medication for glycemic control.
The Falling obesity rates after decades of failure are nothing short of a miracle and serve as a great case study of how progress can be made. It’s high time we stop using “technofix” as a pejorative and start embracing it as a compliment. pic.twitter.com/MskpNSZp2V— Boyan Slat (@BoyanSlat)
Ozempic
The AEMPS also explained that priority would be given (due to the need for monitoring and regularity) to diabetic patients over other causes, since people with type 2 diabetes were still in short supply and priority prescriptions have not always been fulfilled or a medical prescription has been required. In addition, other compounds have appeared, such as Saxenda and Wegovy, specifically indicated for weight control, and already available in Spain.
Endocrinologist Luis Marín explained to ABC : “Diet and exercise are and will continue to be essential. And the only way to stop this pandemic is to educate children about a healthy lifestyle from childhood.”
According to experts, despite the great virtues of Ozempic, after decades of failures in the fight against obesity, losing weight with medication will still be better than not losing weight, but it should not replace a balanced diet and regular physical exercise.
However, the two biggest obstacles at present are not the results, but the monthly cost of the treatment – on average, between 200 and 500 euros per month – and the need to associate it with a change of habits so that the effect can last over time.
Overweight
According to current data, 55.8% of adults are associate with overweight. These figures are further subdivide into 18.7% of obesity and 37.1% of overweight. Severe obesity also affects 4.9% of adults.
Likewise, in Spain, according to data from the Ministry of Health, diabetes affects between 5 and 10% of the general population.
With these figures, the use of drugs such as Ozempic or the new commercial alternatives. That are emerging could help mitigate a large number of severe cases, but it is not a miracle formula.
In a quick calculation, roughly speaking, almost 20% of the adult population corresponds to 8 million people. Medication, even at its most economical cost, would represent some 1.6 billion euros of public expenditure per month (19.2 billion euros per year. It is equivalent to a fifth of the public expenditure of the Spanish health system ).
However, it should be note that Ozempic or other medications effective in preventing obesity in the adult population would also reduce the expenditure associate with overweight. Which is estimate at 9.7% of total health expenditure: specifically, 9.4 billion euros per year (784 million per month).
USA and the Ozempic
Semaglutide, or Ozempic, and other PLC-1 analogues have helped millionaires like Elon Musk and many other influencers lose weight, generating spectacular demand for the drug on the other side of the Atlantic. And here too.
This weight loss was discovered by accident, so to speak, when it was discovered that when semaglutide ( a hormone that helps break down food into fuel the body can use) was injected, the hormone told the pancreas to create more insulin, which in turn reduced glucagon, which controls blood sugar. This reaction can thus lead to weight loss, but Ozempic was never approved for this purpose.
On the contrary, similar drugs that emerged shortly after, such as Wegovy, did. The AEMPS has also tested Mounjaro, which has already been approved and marketed in Spain . In this case, unlike Wegovy or Ozempic, which are based on semaglutide, Mounjaro is based on another compound: tirzepatide, which is a GLP-1 receptor agonist (glucagon-like peptide type 1).
Its main difference is that, in this case, the compound also responds to GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide) receptors. Clinical trials have been a complete success.
The Ozempic case is worth studying, both for its popularity and for the market reaction.
For now, there is still a need for certain medical monitoring to acquire the treatments, but no one is ruling out the possibility of adding more and more compounds. For example, CagriSema, the new hybrid treatment that promises to reduce weight without the side effects of regaining weight.
You may be wondering: but is the effect and revolution that Ozempic and all the drugs derived from it have had on the sector really that big? We close this article with a fact: American demand has led to the overall growth of the Danish economy.
