The Future of Ozempic Is Coming Into Focus

As a growing number of people take drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy for diabetes or weight loss, doctors are discovering additional (and unexpected) health benefits associated with them. It’s not surprising, then, that more people are turning to these and similar drugs, sometimes seeking out dangerous alternatives. It’s also led to shortages of these drugs, something that both healthcare professionals and public health officials have had to address.

What happens when those shortages are at an end? That’s a question that Yasmin Tayag took on in a recent article for The Atlantic. One of the biggest takeaways from Tayag’s reporting has to do with the popularity of Ozempic alternatives, including drugs produced from compounding pharmacies. One might think that a growing supply of Ozempic and similar drugs from the source would shrink demand for alternatives. Tayag makes a convincing case that this is far from the case.

Why? Pricing, for starters. “Hims & Hers offers compounded semaglutide at a starting rate of $199 a month — a sliver of the price of Wegovy, which can cost up to $1,350 a month,” Tayag writes. Given that getting insurance to cover the likes of Wegovy and Ozempic can be a challenge, it’s not hard to see why compounded alternatives could have staying power.

Unlicensed Ozempic Alternatives Are Leading to Overdoses

The FDA has raised an alarm over this phenomenon

The Atlantic also cites reporting from KFF Health News about the growing popularity of compounded weight-loss drugs. That article cites Mark Mikhael, CEO of Olympia Pharmaceuticals, which specializes in compounding drugs. Mikhael offered a “wild ballpark figure” that 30% of the nation’s semaglutide might be made at compounding facilities, though he also pointed out that no one — neither industry bodies nor governmental agencies — is currently tracking this data.

The future of Ozempic and Wegovy, at least in the short term, seems to be one of growth for both these drugs and their compounded alternatives. That pricing is at the root of the latter’s popularity is a very familiar story. Ozempic and Wegovy may be relative newcomers on the national stage, but the likelihood that their alternatives will also continue to grow has its roots in much older narrative.