B.C. pharmacies limit Ozempic refills during worldwide shortage

A year ago, most patients who came to Nika Maghsoud’s North Vancouver pharmacy with a prescription for Ozempic had type two diabetes, which the drug is Health Canada approved to treat.

But now, diabetics aren’t the only ones taking Ozempic.

“In the past six to seven months I would say I’m seeing a lot of off-label use, a lot of obesity use,” said Maghsoud, who is a registered pharmacist at the Pharmasave on Marine Drive. “The interest has exploded. I see so much more demand in my day-to-day practice for sure.”

Obesity specialist Dr. Yashar Tashakkor has also seen a huge surge in demand for Ozempic at his North Vancouver clinic.

“We have on a daily basis several patients asking specifically for it. People are more knowledgeable about it. There are virtually ads in front of every medical clinic – including ours –about Ozempic,” said Tashakkor.

The worldwide demand for Ozempic as a weight loss drug has the manufacturer warning of a shortage of the most popular one-milligram dose pen through early October.

“I’m not surprised at all,” said Tashakkor. “These medications are very effective and becoming more and more popular and widely used, so inevitably there will be some shortages as the company tries to keep up with the demand.”

At Maghsoud's Pharmasave, the shortage forced management to implement a limit on how much Ozempic patients can get at one time.

“We have for now decided that we are dispensing the medication for a month's supply right now, so we are limiting it to a month's supply per patient,” she said.

In an email the Ministry of Health said: “Ozempic is not approved for weight loss in Canada and the expectation is that prescribers in B.C. would only write prescriptions for patients who have Type 2 diabetes, regardless of whether or not they are seeking PharmaCare coverage — particularly with the knowledge that the drug may be in short supply.”

It added the ministry is looking at mitigation strategies if people with Type 2 diabetes can’t access Ozempic. The minister has suggested it could limit the drug to its on-label use, which would freeze out people taking it for weight loss.

“Obviously we want to prioritize it for patients who really need it,” said Maghsoud. But she added it’s not a pharmacist’s place to ask patients why they’re taking a prescribed medication.

She also said that any limits on who can access the drug for what purpose would have to be set by the province or another authority.

Dr. Tashakkor said he treats patients with diabetes and patients with obesity, and from an ethical perspective, he doesn’t want to be forced to prioritize one over another.

“I’m hoping it doesn’t get to that,” he said. “Obesity by itself is not benign, it has lots of complications such as heart disease, fatty liver, stroke, high blood pressure and so forth. So I wouldn’t necessarily say being obese is less of an issue than having Type 2 diabetes.”

It’s hoped by limiting how much each patient can get during the shortage, it will prevent hoarding, and there will be enough Ozempic for everyone.

“I really urge patients to call their pharmacies ahead of time,” said Maghsoud. “Give us some notice so that we can provide it in a timely manner, know our demand, and distribute it equally.”