Desperate users of Ozempic rival Zepbound drive five hours to get weight-loss meds because of shortages
A shortage of weight-loss drugs such as the newly released Ozempic rival Zepbound, is forcing desperate customers to drive as much as five hours to find a pharmacy that has the pricey meds in stock.
Zepbound, released last November by pharma giant Eli Lilly, is in limited supply through the end of the month due to what the Food and Drug Administration says is a “demand increase.”
Patients looking for the 5 mg and 12.5 mg doses of the drug will have to wait due to “limited availability,” according to the FDA.
A Reddit thread devoted to Zepbound users included testimonials from people who have had difficulty obtaining the drug, which costs $1,100 for a month’s supply.
“I drove 5 hrs round trip last night to St. Cloud and Alexandria MN,” a Minnesota woman wrote on Reddit.
She managed to get a hold of a box of 5 mg and one box of 7.5 mg injections, she wrote.
The Reddit thread includes anecdotes from other users who have struggled to fill their prescriptions.
“Anyone having luck? I have called every Walgreens and Costco I can find within an hour of Minneapolis and so far have been told no stock and anticipate mid-May,” wrote one Zepbound seeker.
A Lilly spokesperson said that the company plans to boost spending on production to address supply concerns.
“We recognize this situation may cause a disruption in peoples’ treatment regimens and are working with purpose and urgency to address it,” the spokesperson said.
“While we anticipate intermittent availability in the near term due to unprecedented demand, we expect our investments in manufacturing and supply capacity to progressively increase production of Mounjaro and Zepbound throughout the second half of 2024.”
Last November, the FDA approved Zepbound as a weight-loss management treatment for people with obesity.
Zepbound is marketed as a diabetes drug under the name Mounjaro as both medications have the same active ingredient — tirzepatide.
While Mounjaro, also made by Eli Lilly, is approved by the FDA to treat Type 2 diabetes, some doctors prescribe the drug “off-label” for weight loss.
Mounjaro’s availability is also limited due to a “demand increase.”
Last year, Eli Lilly sold more than $5 billion worth of Mounjaro, according to the company. Its revenue last year soared to $34 billion — a 20% increase over 2022.
Zepbound brought in sales of $176 million through Dec. 31, according to Lilly.
Novo Nordisk, the Danish manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, also has raked in billions from the sale of the weight-loss drugs.
Sales of Ozempic generated around $13.9 billion last year while Wegovy brought in around $4.5 billion.
Two-thirds of sales of Ozempic were US-based, while more than 90% of Wegovy’s sales went to customers in the US.
