The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Aemps) has updated this Wednesday the supply problems of GLP-1 analogue medicines developed almost 20 years ago to treat diabetes. Thus, the body dependent on the Ministry of Health has warned about the sale without a prescription in some pharmacies of Ozempic, the star drug for tare type 2 diabetes that loses weight.
In this sense, according to the note, after several examinations carried out, the inspection services of the autonomous communities have detected cases of prescription of these medications for indications “not included in their technical sheet” or “without complying with the indications” given. by the competent authorities. Likewise, they have also found cases in which These medications are dispensed “without a prescription.”
GLP-1 analogue medications are authorized to improve glycemic control in the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) not sufficiently controlled with diet and exercise. In addition, some analogues are also approved for weight control in certain situations. However, it is not its usual purpose.
This notice has been accompanied by the news of the Wegovy authorization, a new medicine created by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company that developed Ozempic, which promises alleviate shortage problemsor in Spain starting next May. However, he is not the only one. Until now, only Saxenda was authorized for the indication of weight control.
Supply problems in 2022
At the end of 2022, the Aemps was already warning of the supply problems that these medications were going to suffer, especially for Trulicity vs Ozempic in its different presentations. Later, upon seeing that the situation was not improving, he updated them on September 8, 2023.
For this reason and given the shortage of drugs that our country has, the Health body recalls the need to “adjust prescriptions” to prioritize “the use of these treatments for “glycemic control of patients with DM2”, since the therapeutic alternatives for these patients may be more complex.
Likewise, he has detailed that the titular laboratories continue working on measures to increase their manufacturing globally and meet needs, but while this is being carried out, “they can continue to produce supply tensions.
Along these lines, this shortage of medicines has led to false labeling in European countries. In this sense, the EMA warned last October of the identification of fake injections created in Germany and Austria and distributed throughout different countries in Europe. After the warning, several people died.
