Ozempic is actually a diabetes medication. But because it works like the Wegovy weight loss injection, it is increasingly in demand – which in turn creates bottlenecks. Is there an export ban now?
There have been shortages of certain medications in Germany for some time. The diabetes drug Ozempic is also affected. The reason: The product from the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk contains the same active ingredient as its popular weight loss injection Wegovy.
However, Ozempic is significantly cheaper, which is why it is increasingly being used outside of its actual approval for weight loss. In order to prevent further drug shortages, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is considering banning the export of the diabetes drug Ozempic.
“We know that some of the syringes that are delivered to Germany for our diabetes patients flow to other European countries or the USA,” said BfArM President Karl Broich to “Spiegel”. In Germany it is also cheaper than in many other countries. This is a big problem. “We need the drug for the care of diabetes patients and not as a lifestyle drug.”
“A sword that we rarely draw”
The institute is currently in discussions with politicians to clarify further steps if the previous measures have had no effect. “We would then consider issuing an export ban so that enough remains here in the country for patients who need it. That is a sword that we can only rarely pull out in the spirit of the free market,” said Broich.
The drug is not manufactured in Germany – in addition to a production site in Denmark, Novo Nordisk also has factories in Brazil, China, France, the USA, Algeria, Iran, Japan and Russia. The export ban would then apply to cans that were delivered to Germany and could not be sold abroad from here.
Bottlenecks across Europe
The use of Ozempic for weight loss has led to shortages of the drug across Europe. The UK and Belgium have already temporarily banned the use of Ozempic for weight loss to ensure its availability for diabetics.
The federal association of the pharmaceutical wholesaler Phagro explained that there is currently no certainty that exports caused bottlenecks at Ozempic: “Export control measures are preferable to export bans as a milder means, at least as long as no evidence can be provided of a direct connection between unavailability and exports.”
In October, the BfArM called for the drugs from the GLP-1 receptor agonist class, which include Ozempic and Trulicity from Eli Lilly, to be prescribed only for their approved use against diabetes. The availability of the funds has been limited since the spring – despite the efforts of drug manufacturers to ramp up production.
Abuse with side effects
EU law is based on the principle of freedom to export Community goods to third countries. However, according to the lobby group Affordable Medicines Europe, several EU countries have already stopped exports of Ozempic, including Austria and France.
BfArM President Broich meanwhile warned against the misuse of Ozempic. It is pretended that these medications have no side effects. “They certainly have them. There is apparently no longer any reasonable risk-benefit analysis, and the side effects are completely ignored.”