Demand for weight loss drugs sees medication shortages for diabetes patients
Diabetes drugs are being used for weight loss purposes and have in turn seen diabetes patients being unable to access medication.
Photo: Unsplash/Sweet Life (cropped)
Gugs Mhlungu spoke to Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer at Discovery Health.
Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.
What happens when people start using medication intended for one condition, to address another?
Diabetes drugs are being used for weight loss purposes and have in turn seen diabetes patients being unable to access medication.
Nematswerani says these drugs have been around for quite a while but gained popularity in recent times with celebrities using them to show off their weight loss.
She adds that while these drugs have been registered for type 2 diabetes, they have been studied and registered for weight loss management.
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"In South Africa, we've got one of these drugs, it's called liraglutide (sold as Saxenda). This drug has been registered for some time for weight loss in South Africa but the difference is that it is administered as a daily injectable. Ozempic, which is one of the popular ones, is currently registered in South Africa and it is administered as a weekly injectable. In Ozempic, the active ingredient is semaglutide. This ingredient has been registered elsewhere in the world in the form of Wegovy and it has been tested and registered for obesity management."
- Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer - Discovery Health
"What we have seen is that people are using these drugs locally off-label. When we say off-label, it means out of their registration currently in our country which is where the problem has been because people who are diabetic, who have been prescribed these drugs, we've seen shortages where patients cannot access the drug because now it is used much more broader than the current indication locally and globally."
- Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer - Discovery Health
"These drug shortages have been experienced even globally because the demand for the drug, driven by what people have been seeing on social media, has been high."
- Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer - Discovery Health
Scroll up to listen to the full interview.