PETALING JAYA: Ozempic has become a popular wonder drug among many Hollywood celebrities, who turned to the diabetes medication to lose weight.
It is not just Ozempic making waves – similar drugs like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound have also gained traction in the West, among both celebrities and the general public seeking quick weight loss solutions.
ALSO READ: Diabetics face medicine shortage as slimming craze thins supply of Ozempic
While some celebrities have openly admitted to using these medications, others have denied doing so.
The outcomes, however, have been varied, with some users swearing by the drugs’ effectiveness, while others caution against their use.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is one of the high-profile figures to confirm his use of an Ozempic-like drug, posting about it in a festive holiday photo dressed as Santa Claus beside a Christmas tree.
“Ozempic Santa,” Musk initially posted on his social media platform X, before adding, “Technically, Mounjaro, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
Reports from Western media reveal that this weight loss trend has led to significant shortages of these medications, leaving diabetes patients struggling to access their prescriptions.
In fact, the demand for off-label use of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss outstripped supply in the United States last year, causing a temporary shortage for at least six months.
This prompted Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk to announce a US$6bil (RM26.8bil) investment to scale up production of Wegovy to meet the increased demand.
Novo Nordisk reportedly attributed the shortages to surging demand and capacity constraints at some of its manufacturing sites.
Over in the United Kingdom, the National Pharmacy Association has warned of a possible explosion in unlicensed online sales of medications due to the shortages, cautioning against purchasing fake weight loss jabs online.
In Australia, the supply of Ozempic is expected to remain limited until the end of next year as global demand shows no sign of slowing down.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Dec 18 that the European Medicines Agency, the European Union’s drug regulator, would begin assessing two new Danish studies linking Ozempic to a rare eye disease.
