Weight loss drug shortage: Zepbound and Wegovy in short supply, says FDA
Most doses of Zepbound have limited availability because of "demand increase for the drug," while only the highest dose of Wegovy is available, with remaining doses in short supply for a duration "to be determined," says the FDA.
Manufacturers of popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are struggling to keep up with unprecedented demand. Wegovy from Novo Nordisk and Zepbound from Eli Lilly & Co. are in tight supply and may be hard to obtain for the next several months..
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its drug shortage database in April to reflect that most doses of Zepbound have limited availability because of “demand increase for the drug.” Patients typically start at the lowest dose and work their way up to higher doses. Currently, only the lowest dose is readily available
The FDA anticipates limited availability through the end of the second financial quarter, or at least through June. Eli Lilly told ABC News it had experienced “unparalleled surge in demand” for these drugs and the company is “working with purpose and urgency to help meet the surge in demand.”
Only the highest dose of Wegovy is available, with remaining doses in short supply for a duration “to be determined,” according to the FDA website. Last year, Novo Nordisk began limiting the supply of starter doses of Wegovy after demand began outpacing supply and manufacturing capacity. The company also paused some marketing of the drug last year “to avoid stimulating further demand.”
“We are aware that another manufacturer has communicated supply shortages for its obesity medicine, which may have implications for Wegovy demand,” a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told ABC News. “Our focus has and will continue to be on patients and doing what we can to ensure that people who start treatment can stay on treatment. That’s why we have been thoughtfully managing shipments of Wegovy for the past year while we worked to increase our production capacity.
“We will continue to follow our plan to gradually increase overall supply throughout the rest of the year, but it’s important to recognize that overall demand will continue to exceed supply. This means that some patients may still have difficulty filling Wegovy prescriptions.”
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The weight-loss drug shortage comes amid an announcement from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Utah Drug Information Service that drug shortages have reached an all-time high. During the first three months of 2024, there were 323 active medication shortages, the highest since the society started tracking in 2001. Previously, the record high was 320 shortages in 2014.