A TikTok trend that promotes the off-label use of a crucial drug has caused a nationwide shortage and created “havoc” for people who need it most.
People with type 2 diabetes are still without their essential medications, as a trend of TikTok promoting their off-label use as the miraculous solution to losing weight continues to grow.
Australia has been hit by a national shortage of Ozempic (semaglutida), a once-a-week injectable drug that is only approved for people with type 2 diabetes along with diet and exercise.
But GPs and health professionals have prescribed the drug off-label to thousands of hopeful weight loss nationwide.
These people have been documenting their success on TikTok with hashtags like #ozempicjourney.
“In three weeks I took off a full suit without trying to diet,” one said.
“I lost 25 kilos in 4 months. And now there is a national shortage,” said another.
In response to a question about how Ozempic was being prescribed for weight loss when it was only approved for type 2 diabetes, one commenter said that “the main use is for diabetics to subsidize, “It’s used off the label for weight loss. The doctor may prescribe it. I had no problem getting it and I’m not diabetic.”
Two weeks ago, the Therapeutic Assets Administration issued a firm joint statement on the shortage of Ozempic, telling health professionals to only prescribe and dispense it for approved use.
The statement, which was made in conjunction with nine health agencies, including the Australian Medical Association, said that essential and continued care for people with type 2 diabetes should be prioritized.
He warned people who did not have type 2 diabetes that he might not fill the Ozempic prescription.
The manufacturer, the Dutch pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, has indicated that there are enough supplies for the approved use of Ozempic, but the “important recent prescription” for “obesity management” has created shortages.
People with type 2 diabetes have been advised to stay with their usual pharmacy and fill out their script “as soon as possible.”
Ashleigh Rae, who has type 2 diabetes, told NCA NewsWire earlier this month that not being able to access Ozempic had “wreaked havoc” on her body after the pharmacist she had been going to since she was little no longer had it.
“Because Ozempic changes the way you digest food, when you suddenly withdraw, your body has to go back to what it was before,” he said.
“Without it, blood sugar goes a little crazy, which means the rest of the diabetes can be very difficult to manage.
“I went from having my pharmacist order to Ozempic because it was so new and no one was there, and suddenly there is no existence in Australia in the space of a script.”
While she made it clear that her frustration was with GPs prescribing it off the label, Ms Rae said that “it’s very frustrating when we hear stories about people using it to lose a few pounds. “.
“Taking it because you want to lose a little bit of weight like a couple of pounds compared to people who really need it for serious weight problems and diabetes is very different.”