Belgium Restricts Ozempic Use Amid Soaring Demand and Supply Shortages

　　Cailian Press, November 15 (Editor Niuzhanlin)On Tuesday local time, Belgian officials announced that due to the currentNovo NordiskThe shortage of Ozempic and similar drugs will temporarily restrict the use of Ozempic for weight loss, reserving the medication for patients with diabetes.

The Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products issued a statement on the same day, stating that Ozempic and other GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) drugs are only suitable for patients with type 2 diabetes and certain severe cases of obesity. Additionally, the restricted drugs include Novo Nordisk's Rybelsus and Victoza, as well asEli LillyTrulicity andAstraZenecaBydureon.

It is reported that the restriction measures will last until June 2024. The agency had warned as early as September that a shortage of Ozempic occurred due to a sharp increase in demand.

Belgian Health Minister Franck Vandenbroucke previously pointed out: "We told doctors that they must reserve this drug for patients with type 2 diabetes, but we found that this strategy did not work." He also stated that he knows this drug is also effective for people with obesity, so a discussion on this matter is needed.

In addition to patients with diabetes, these drugs will also be applicable to individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 35, or those with a BMI equal to or greater than 30 who also suffer from at least one weight-related comorbidity, provided they present a prescription issued by an endocrinology specialist.

The main reason for Belgium's official restrictions is the shortage of the weight-loss drug Wegovy. Due to limited Wegovy supply, some obese patients have turned to using the diabetes drug Ozempic as an alternative since both drugs share the same active ingredient. However, this has also led to a drug shortage for patients using Ozempic to treat diabetes.

Moreover, the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products has also warned that the shortage of the diabetes drug Ozempic will indeed cause inconvenience to people, but such drugs should not be purchased online, as there have been reports of counterfeit GLP-1 drugs being sold.

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said that the company encourages its products to be used for specific conditions: Ozempic is a drug for treating diabetes, while Wegovy is a weight-loss medication.

Notably, Belgium is not the first country to impose restrictions on the supply of this diabetes drug. In July this year, the UK implemented similar restrictions on the use of Ozempic for non-Type 2 diabetes patients.

To address supply shortages, Novo Nordisk announced last week that it would invest over 42 billion Danish kroner (approximately $6 billion) starting from 2023 to expand its production facilities in Denmark, thereby increasing the manufacturing capacity for its weight-loss drug Wegovy and other medications.

The company added that these construction projects will be gradually completed from the end of 2025 to 2029. Novo Nordisk stated that this investment will create more capacity in the company's global value chain, including active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production and packaging, with the vast majority of the investment being used to increase API capacity. "This investment will enhance the company’s ability to meet future market demands, including those for GLP-1 products."

Editor: Wang Xuning