3 weeks ago
Patients are walking much than 1,000 miles to capable prescriptions for weight loss drugs amid nationalist shortages and a sprint to slim down for summer.
Doctors told DailyMail.com they are struggling to support up pinch request for Wegovy and Ozempic, while nan FDA reports Mounjaro and Zepbound are expected to beryllium retired of banal until astatine slightest July.
Dr Angela Fitch, an obesity medicine master successful New York City, said she has had patients alert successful from arsenic acold afield arsenic Florida, Virginia and Ohio to capable prescriptions.
She has besides had others who person driven to her from Maine, a region of astir 400 miles — aliases 7 hours successful nan car.
Marlee Bruno, who useful astatine Medspa Mind, Body and Soul Medical successful Pensacola, Florida, told DailyMail.com that group are looking to boost their weight-loss goals to get formation ready.
Among those to person utilized Ozempic to suffer weight was Real Housewives of Orange County prima Emily Simpson, 47, who mislaid 40lbs connected nan supplier past year
Pictured supra is Anna, from Alabama, who mislaid 50lbs aft utilizing Wegovy past summer
Among nan patients struggling to capable a book is Tara Dykens from Massachusetts who said uncovering Zepbound was 'very frustrating'. 'I didn't want to messiness it up. I didn't want to miss doses,' she added.
Other patients person taken to posting tearful videos connected societal media erstwhile they capable their prescriptions, aliases quiet boxes worrying astir getting their adjacent dose.
Ms Bruno told DailyMail.com they person had patients thrust retired of authorities to get their doses from her clinic.
'We do effort and vessel it to patients, but this does summation costs and immoderate of them want to get nan named brands,' she said.
'We person patients who drove into Alabama and into Mississippi from present to get Mounjaro, truthful that's astatine slightest a 100 miles.'
Because of nan shortages, pharmacies are capable to make compound versions — aliases their ain doses — of nan drugs.
But galore patients are still opting for nan marque sanction versions because they judge they will beryllium much effective for weight loss.
Those who person antecedently utilized nan narcotics to get summertime fresh see Emily Simpson, 47, from nan Real Housewives of Orange County, who mislaid 40lbs connected nan supplier and was truthful assured that she posted a threat of herself successful a bikini.
Patients are sharing their vexation complete being incapable to get clasp of their doses of Wegovy, Zepbound and different weight nonaccomplishment narcotics online
UK TV characteristic Charlotte Dawson, 31, showed disconnected her unthinkable 19lbs weight nonaccomplishment arsenic she prepares to get bikini assemblage fresh for her vacation 8 months postpartum successful latest Instagram station connected Saturday. She has not confirmed whether she utilized a weight nonaccomplishment drug
Others to usage weight nonaccomplishment narcotics to fresh into a bikini past twelvemonth see Anna, from Alabama, who lost 50lbs aft taking Wegovy.
Asked what was down nan surge successful demand, Bruno blamed nan attack of summer.
'We are successful Florida, wherever it is practically already summer,' she said, 'and group are starting to get into their bikinis and really want to get connected nan supplier truthful they tin suffer weight quickly.
'It is imaginable to suffer a important magnitude of weight accelerated connected these', she added.
'As standard, patients suffer astir 1lb a week — but it tends to beryllium a small spot much than that.
'After 3 months, they whitethorn person mislaid astatine slightest 12lbs of fat, which is simply a important nonaccomplishment and makes galore patients consciousness overmuch better.'
She warned against 'double dosing' to effort to velocity weight loss, however, saying this would consequence successful 'terrible broadside effects' for patients specified arsenic problems pinch bowel movements, diarrhea and constipation.
Patients caught successful nan shortage see Ms Dykens, who is struggling to capable her medicine of Zepbound.
She told GMA: 'In 1 fixed afternoon, I judge I tried to interaction betwixt 20 and 25 pharmacies [to get nan medication].'
The supra shows really Zepbound useful and really Wegovy works
Zepbound a caller breakthrough weight nonaccomplishment supplier is successful shortage crossed nan US, wellness authorities say
Another diligent called Hannah Rose, based successful Washington State, said she had been searching each drugstore up to 100miles from her trying to get doses.
'On Saturday, not 1 successful a 100 miles had [Zepbound],' she said, 'but today, they had it successful 2 stores!'.
Another patient, called Celeste and from nan US, posted a tearful video online this period erstwhile she managed to capable her Zepbound prescription.
And diligent Tiana, besides from nan US and who has mislaid 40lbs connected nan drug, described it arsenic a 'mission' erstwhile she drove 8miles to a CVS to drawback her doses.
Eli Lilly — which is down Mounjaro and Zepbound — has said that shortages of its narcotics could past into 2025.
The group's vice president, Rhonda Pacheco, said: 'For nan adjacent term, we are going to beryllium successful this constricted readiness — which whitethorn origin delays crossed immoderate of nan doses for some Mounjaro and Zepbound.
'We are moving truthful difficult each time to make judge that we summation that capacity arsenic accelerated arsenic we tin to get these medications into patients' hands.'
Lilly is readying to unfastened a caller manufacturing installation successful Concord, North Carolina, by nan extremity of nan twelvemonth to boost production.
Novo Nordisk — which makes Ozempic and Wegovy — opened a caller manufacturing installation successful Clayton, North Carolina, past twelvemonth to grow supply.
