How to get your hands on Ozempic dupes for quarter of the price as demand for generic weight loss drugs boom – and it’s as easy as making a phone call

A financial advisor has found a way to get his hands on Ozempic — and is selling it for a fraction of the price thanks to pharmacies that make generic versions and ship them straight to your door.

This groundbreaking strategy comes at a time when Americans across the country are desperately seeking ways to access this elusive weight-loss drug, which is prescribed and covered by insurance only for people with diabetes.

David Soliman, 43, found a way around this during his own weight-loss journey — one that culminated in him losing 70 pounds and building a successful business.

Rather than spend a lot of money on off-brand versions of the drug without any kind of coverage, he looks for other companies that supply the GLP-1 injections themselves, having made them themselves using nearly identical formulas.

The process is completely legal, although pricey and also not covered by insurance. However, it allows him to sell generic versions of the drug at a quarter of the cost.

By purchasing the hard-to-find injections in bulk, he has successfully created a thriving business, and he has the scoop on getting the drug himself, amid the frenzy that is GLP-1 drugs. All you have to do, he says? Leave out the brand name.

“I’ve never texted a drug dealer for illegal drugs, but that’s what this process felt like,” Soliman said Nola.com of his first, somewhat sketchy lecture – the first of many.

“That’s when it clicked,” the New Orleans-based asset manager explains.

‘As a financial advisor, I am constantly investigating and reviewing issues that disrupt the markets.

‘This really caught my attention, it turned everything upside down, as far as a whole specialty within medicine is concerned.’

He then explained how he conquered the untapped market after being tipped off by a local mother who gave him the idea to order the drugs from telehealth companies who then created generic versions of the drug through pharmacies, known by names such as Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro and Ozempic.

Amid a national shortage that has sent the price of Ozempic skyrocketing, this serves as a creative solution — one that Soliman says significantly reduces the cost of GLP-1 receptor agonists while leaving room for profit.

He also explained that such compounding pharmacies are generally not allowed to make copies of commercially available medications. However, there is a loophole in the law that allows this during a shortage.

They get around patent laws by adding a harmless vitamin like B12, since compounding pharmacies are already drugstores that tailor medications based on the needs of specific patients, Soliman explains.

This is another creative way to cut costs amid a new wave of demand. This allows him to sell GLP-1 receptor agonists via Facebook for between $240 and $390 – while users get the prescription fork for as much as $1,000 per month without insurance coverage.

Most insurance plans cover Ozempic, but this is only if it is used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

For everyone else, Soliman’s strategy is viable. He’s profiting from those who are fed up with the cost of getting it prescribed — a number that now numbers in the thousands as shortages continue to hamper supply.

That said, it is not without its flaws, as some experts warn that patients should proceed with caution when looking at compounded formulations of the drug.

They are not subject to Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval and are thus essentially unregulated and subject to human error.

The agency has therefore sent a series of warning letters to companies marketing fraudulent slimming injections that differ from the formulas of brands such as Ozempic. But here too, Soliman presents the vitamin B method as a simple solution.

Dr. Taniya De Silva, an endocrinologist at LSU Health New Orleans who treats patients with diabetes and obesity, told Nola.com that compounded medications may be a viable option when prescribed to eligible patients, but only if they have the same molecular formula as the manufacturer’s.

“You have to be careful about who you see and make sure they are actually aware of all the risk-benefit profiles,” she said.

Of a facebook group With over 800 members, Soliman’s success appears to be in line with these guidelines – further bolstered by his financial background and the support of several collaborating physicians.

‘These photos are incredibly viral. People see you losing weight and want to know what you’re doing,” Soliman told the publication on Sunday, in an article about his successful market capitalization of the current craze.

“It’s hard to find legitimate, doctor-backed companies that aren’t one-hit wonders.

“I think people see that in us and are attracted to it.”

Medicines like Ozempic work by mimicking the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone released by the gut when you eat.

It turns off hunger signals in the brain and stimulates the pancreas to release insulin – a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

While taking the drug, you should follow a low-calorie diet and exercise regularly.

The combination results in an average of 15 percent weight loss within 16 months.

Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation.

Some doctors have criticized its ‘lifetime’ status, as those who stop taking it often regain the weight and require ongoing injections.

Compounding pharmacists customize medications for patients whose needs are not met by brand-name versions of the medications, such as a child who may need a liquid pill.