Like an increasing number of patients, Nguyen began taking a decades-old prescription drug for weight loss instead. So her doctor prescribed its sister drug, Ozempic, which is approved for type 2 diabetes and uses the same key ingredient, semaglutide, at generally lower doses. The biggest increases are for semaglutide and tirzepatide, the generic names for Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide). Semaglutide was approved as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes in 2017 and cleared for chronic weight management as Wegovy in 2021. Wegovy, Dushay said, has improved coverage after being on the market for longer, but it’s in shortage, particularly in lower doses.

Source: CNN December 20, 2023 17:47 UTC