Doctors and pharmacists have been warned to stop prescribing diabetes drugs to people who just want to lose weight.
Semaglutide has been hailed as a ‘miracle’ weightloss drug by celebrities including Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson.
But health officials have warned that the clamour to get hold of it and similar medications is fuelling a national shortage which is putting diabetics’ lives at risk.
Marketed under the brand name Ozempic, it is available on the NHS as a treatment for managing blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
It was also approved in May for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy, but is yet to launch in the UK because of supply difficulties.
The delay has led to a rise in ‘off-label’ prescribing – where medications are issued for something other than their intended use – which is exacerbating shortages and means diabetes patients are struggling to get hold of their essential medication, which officials say can have ‘serious clinical implications’.
This week, the Department of Health issued a national patient safety alert urging all healthcare providers not to dish out the drugs for obesity.
It states, “The supply issues have been caused by an increase in demand for these products for licensed and off-label indications.”
The off-label use of these agents for the management of obesity is strongly discouraged. Existing stock is clear that these medicines should only be prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in order to protect supply for diabetes patients.
“These shortages have serious clinical implications in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes.
“The alert relates to a range of medications, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), which include Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity and Bydureon.
These work by hijacking the brain to suppress appetite. Trials of the weekly injection Wegovy revealed that those on it lost about 12 per cent of their body weight and slashed their chances of developing type 2 diabetes by more than half.
Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant behind it and Ozempic, said it continued to experience intermittent supply constraints due to ‘unprecedented levels of demand’.
The Medicines and HealthcareRegulatory Agency (MHRA) says it is working with officials to ensure diabetes patients can access these drugs or ‘other clinically suitable alternatives’.
Dr Laura Squire, of the MHRA said, “Where there is a potential supply shortage of a medical product that may pose a risk to public health, we stand ready to use our regulatory processes to minimise those risks.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said, “We expect all providers of healthcare services, whether NHS or private, and all those with responsibility for prescribing, to take appropriate account of national guidance.”
The guidance is clear that these medicines should only be prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in order to protect supply for diabetes patients.
“Medicines that are solely licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.”
A spokesman for Novo Nordisk said, “We support additional guidance issued to healthcare professionals, and in particular echo the direction that off-label use of diabetes medication for the management of obesity is strongly discouraged.
“We do not promote, suggest, or encourage the off-label use or misuse of any of our medicines.”