Ozempic users travel 1,000 MILES to find doses amid shortage of weight loss drugs as people rush to burn fat before summer
Patients travel more than 1,000 miles to fill prescriptions for weight-loss drugs amid national shortages and a sprint to slim down before the summer.
Doctors told DailyMail.com they are struggling to keep up with demand for Wegovy and Ozempic, while the FDA reports Mounjaro and Zepbound are expected to be out of stock until at least July.
Dr. Angela Fitch, an obesity medicine expert in New York City, said patients have flown in from as far away as Florida, Virginia and Ohio to fill prescriptions.
She has also had others drive to her from Maine, a distance of about 400 miles β or seven hours in the car.
Marlee Bruno, owner of Medspa Mind, Body and Soul Medical in Pensacola, Florida, told DailyMail.com that people are looking to increase their weight loss goals to get ready for the beach.
Among those who have used Ozempic for weight loss was Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson, 47, who lost 40 pounds with the drug last year
Above is Anna from Alabama, who lost 50 pounds last summer after using Wegovy
Among the patients who have difficulty filling out a script is Tara Dykens of Massachusetts, who said finding Zepbound was “very frustrating.” ‘I didn’t want to screw it up. I didn’t want to miss any doses,β she added.
Other patients post tearful videos on social media as they fill their prescriptions, or empty boxes worrying about getting their next dose.
Ms Bruno told DailyMail.com that patients have been driving from out of state to get their doses from her clinic.
βWe are trying to send it to patients, but this increases the cost and some of them want to get the brands mentioned,β she said.
βWe have patients who have driven from here to Alabama and Mississippi to pick up Mounjaro, so that’s at least sixty miles.β
Because of the shortages, pharmacies are able to make compounded versions β or their own doses β of the drugs.
But many patients still choose the branded versions because they think they are more effective in losing weight.
Those who have previously used the drugs to get ready for summer include Emily Simpson, 47, of the Real Housewives of Orange County, who lost 40 pounds on the drug and was so confident she posted a photo of herself in a bikini posted.
Patients are sharing their frustration about not being able to get their doses of Wegovy, Zepbound and other weight loss medications online
British TV personality Charlotte Dawson, 31, showed off her incredible 19-pound weight loss in Saturday’s latest Instagram post as she prepares to get her bikini body ready for her holiday, eight months after giving birth. She has not confirmed whether she has taken any weight loss medication
Others who used weight-loss drugs to fit into a bikini last year include Anna from Alabama, who lost 50 pounds after taking Wegovy.
When asked what was behind the increase in demand, Bruno blamed the arrival of summer.
βWe’re in Florida, where it’s practically summer already,β she said, βand people are starting to put on their bikinis and are really eager to get their hands on the drug so they can lose weight quickly.
“It is possible to lose a significant amount of weight quickly with this,” she added.
‘Standardly patients lose about 1 pound per week, but it is usually a little more than that.
“After three months, they may have lost at least 12 pounds of fat, which is a significant loss and makes many patients feel much better.”
She warned against ‘double dosing’ to speed up weight loss, but said this would result in ‘terrible side effects’ for patients, such as bowel movements, diarrhea and constipation.
Patients affected by the shortage include Ms Dykens, who is struggling to fill her prescription for Zepbound.
She told GMA, “I think I tried to contact between 20 and 25 pharmacies in one afternoon (to get the drugs).”
The above shows how Zepbound works and how Wegovy works
Zepbound, a new breakthrough weight loss drug, is in short supply in the US, health authorities say
Another patient named Hannah Rose, based in Washington state, said she searched every pharmacy up to 100 miles away from her to get doses.
βOn Saturday we didn’t have one in a hundred miles (Zepbound),β she said, βbut today they had it in two stores!β
Another patient named Celeste, from the US, posted a tearful video online this month as she managed to fill her Zepbound prescription.
And patient Tiana, also from the US and who has lost 40 pounds on the drug, described it as a “mission” as she drove eight miles to a CVS to get her doses.
Eli Lilly β which is behind Mounjaro and Zepbound β has said shortages of its drugs could continue until 2025.
The group’s vice-president, Rhonda Pacheco, said: ‘In the short term we will be in this limited supply – which could cause delays on some doses for both Mounjaro and Zepbound.
βWe work so hard every day to make sure we increase that capacity as quickly as possible to get these medicines into the hands of patients.β
Lilly plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Concord, North Carolina, by the end of the year to boost production.
Novo Nordisk β maker of Ozempic and Wegovy β opened a new production facility in Clayton, North Carolina last year to expand its offerings.