For several months, videos showing women injecting Ozempic, a drug intended for patients with type 2 diabetes – the most common form of the disease – have multiplied on social networks. On TikTok, the hashtag #ozempic has accumulated hundreds of millions of views. But it is for a completely different purpose than that of regulating diabetes that these videos promote it: at a higher dose than that prescribed for this pathology, this drug makes you lose weight.
Ozempic (whose active substance is semaglutide), marketed by the Novo Nordisk laboratory, has been authorized since 2017 in the United States and 2019 in France. It belongs to what is known as the class of analogues of GLP-1 – a natural digestive hormone that helps control blood sugar – which was originally intended only to stimulate the release of insulin in diabetics. It has another property: it slows the emptying of the stomach, thereby reducing appetite.
In a communiqué common, published Wednesday 1is March, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) and Medicare indicate that Ozempic will be subject to “reinforced surveillance” in France. “Reports from the field report misuse in non-diabetic people with the aim of weight loss”, they worry, recalling that its use must be reserved for diabetics.
Forged prescriptions
Since September 2022, the ANSM had been alerted by these videos on social networks, but also by pharmacists who noticed falsified prescriptions and use for weight loss purposes in people without diabetes. “We know that Ozempic can be abused for weight loss, but we wanted to quantify the misuse,” explains Isabelle Yoldjian, director of medicines, in particular in oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, at the ANSM.
It’s done. The health agency and Medicare indicate that between October 2021 and October 2022, some 600,000 patients received a drug from the class of GLP-1 analogues, including 215,000 patients Ozempic. “Of these, 2,185 Ozempic recipients can be considered non-diabetic, according to Medicare estimates,” she continues. That is a potential misuse to date of 1%.
This enhanced surveillance was taken following a consultation meeting between the ANSM, Medicare, health professionals (doctors, pharmacists), as well as patient associations. In concrete terms, sales and reimbursement data from the national health data system will be monitored, as well as reports of non-compliant use and reports of adverse effects to pharmacovigilance centres.
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