Wow! Global Shortage In Diabetes Drugs Due To Weight Loss TikTok Trend

Image credit: Shutterstock

Ozempic, a drug produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, is an injectable drug that regulates blood sugar levels and insulin. It’s usually prescribed to adults suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes.

The diabetes drug is facing shortages worldwide and causing health concerns as social media users boast its properties as a “wonder” weight loss hack.

The drug’s active ingredient, semaglutide, also mimics a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food. Because it makes users feel full faster, it can lead them to lose weight.

As a result, Ozempic has been touted on the Internet as a miracle diet drug. On TikTok, the hashtag #Ozempic already has over 360 million views and counting.

The TikTok weight loss trend has caused a global diabetes drug shortage - and health concerns.

Off-label prescriptions of several antidiabetic drugs led to a shortage in Australia and tensions in other contries.

Even Twitter's new boss, the billionaire Elon Musk, has credited Ozempic - alongside a similar drug, Wegovy - as one of the reasons he shed 13 kg.

On Facebook, groups dedicated to the use of Ozempic for weight loss have tens of thousands of followers.

The global spike in demand has already caused a shortage of Ozempic in Australia that is expected to last until the end of March 2023.

Australian authorities have called on health professionals to stop initiating new prescriptions of Ozempic and to contact diabetic patients affected by the shortage to switch them to alternative treatments.

France's national drug safety agency issued similar instructions in September when it urged doctors to only initiate new GLP-1 drug prescriptions for patients with Type 2 diabetes with a history of stroke or heart disease.

Authorities in the UK and Australia have also issued warnings to influencers promoting these drugs online. In France, pharmaceutical advertising to the general public is a highly regulated practice, which requires prior authorisation and is reserved for medicines that are not reimbursed by the public health insurance system.

In an emailed statement, Novo Nordisk said it was taking the shortages seriously and had invested $1.6 billion (€1.5 billion) in 2022 alone to expand its production capacity. The company's global manufacturing facilities are operating 24/7 to catch up with "stronger than anticipated" demand, it said.

"We are committed to working closely with authorities in affected markets to minimise the impact on patients and we are doing everything we can to be able to meet demand as fast as possible."

News Credit: euronews.next

Comments

Man Scales 10 Foot Fence Into Lions Den-Lions Maul Man To Death

A man, described as middle-aged, was mauled to death by a lion after he climbed into a zoo enclosure in the capital, Accra, Ghana. Unfortunately, the man died from his injuries after Sunday's attack, officials report. The Ghana authorities have began investigation on the subject, that has left many in Ghana in awe. Police have commenced an investigation to establish the motive of the intruder and circumstances surrounding the attack. Wildlife authorities suspect he may have planned to steal two rare white lion cubs which have become a big draw since their birth last November. The victim's body was retrieved from the zoo and taken to a local morgue. The Accra Zoo has been temporarily closed to the public following the incident. A lion, a lioness and their two white cubs were in the enclosure when the incident happened. "The lions have cubs so if you come too close they may feel you are trying to take away their babies," Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources B...

Christmas-Federal Government announces free transportation by Train

Yuletide: FG Declares Free Passenger Train Rides. The Federal Government through the Ministry of Transportation has in the spirit of Christmas declared passenger trains across the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) system free of charge during the period. According to a communique from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), this gesture is to enable Nigerians to travel and celebrate Christmas. The spokesman for the corporation, Yakub Mahmood, said passengers trains on both standard and narrow gauge lines, which include Abuja to Kaduna, Lagos to Ibadan, Warri to Itakpe, Kano to Lagos, Minna to Kaduna, Abba to Port Harcourt routes are now all free from today Friday 24th December 2021 to Tuesday 4th January 2022 inclusive. The NRC, however, noted that all boarding tickets due process by “valued customers must be complied with but not paid, while COVID-19 protocols also must be strictly observed on board”. While wishing all Nigerians a happy Christmas and prosperous New Year, the corporat...

Happy Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE MY MOTHER, POEM BY ANN TAYLOR Who fed me from her gentle breast, And hush’d me in her arms to rest, And on my cheek sweet kisses prest? My Mother. When sleep forsook my open eye, Who was it sung sweet hushaby, And rock’d me that I should not cry? My Mother. Who sat and watched my infant head, When sleeping in my cradle bed, And tears of sweet affection shed? My Mother. When pain and sickness made me cry, Who gazed upon my heavy eye, And wept for fear that I should die? My Mother. Who dress’d my doll in clothes so gay, And taught me pretty how to play. And minded all I had to say? My Mother. Who taught my infant lips to pray, And love God’s holy book and day. And walk in Wisdom’s pleasant way? My Mother. And can I ever cease to be Affectionate and kind to thee, Who was so very kind to me? My Mother. Ah, no! the thought I cannot bear; And if God please my life to spare, I hope I shall reward thy care, My Mother. Who ran to help me when I fell, And w...

Welcome To Echo Blog

Search This Blog