Financial Review authors’ predictions for the year ahead - Will...

Financial Review authors’ predictions for the year ahead - Will Ozempic be available in Australia for weight loss?

No. Ozempic is only licensed for use as a diabetes medication. Other similar drugs, Wegovy and Mounjaro, are specifically designed for weight loss. But they are either unavailable or in short supply, so we are likely to see an Ozempic clone called semaglutide sodium used on an industrial scale for weight loss purposes. Health authorities warn that it has not yet undergone appropriate clinical trials. The same goes for knockoffs of another popular weight-loss drug, Mounjaro. U.S. authorities say these generic drugs have led to a significant increase in overdoses because of the way they are delivered to customers. These generic drugs are legal under regulations, allowing pharmacists to prepare their own versions of the drugs in response to shortages or customer allergies. But companies that make the genuine drugs warn that alternatives may be unsafe. This will pose a significant challenge to medical regulations, which were written in an era when health care was primarily provided by large hospitals or boutique pharmacies and doctor's offices.

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