MIDLAND, Texas — At Topline Pharmacy in Midland, it's been a constant battle for them to get in-stock Ozempic, the weekly injection drug for people with diabetes to help them regulate their blood sugar.
"Basically what we do is everyday I come in and I look through to see anybody that has it so it’s an ongoing stuff. The prescribers they are aware that we are having problems getting this medication so at times we get lucky," Gina Nnanna, pharmacist and owner of Topline Pharmacy, said. "At this point it’s just luck."
The reason for the shortage has been due to many people using the drug for weight loss, even though the drug has not been FDA approved to help lose weight.
"What is happening is as the doctors increase the doses for the patients and they go up to the two milligrams they are not able to get it most of the times and that’s because more people are using it for weight loss and no diabetes so we’ve had some problems getting it," Nnanna said.
With the pharmacy having a hard time keeping it on shelves, they've had customers go without the much needed drug for months or try another medication that's similar.
"Some other people have had to go down to a lower strand to have something to keep them going till they can find their exact dose they have to be on," Nnanna said. "Some people have gone on to look for something else but yes it’s been an ongoing problem for some months now."
With the backlog on Ozempic happening for awhile, Nnanna said they're hoping to see manufacturers make some changes.
"It’d be nice for the manufacturers to step up their game because it’s a drug that’s well received [and] well used," Nnanna said. "It works. Yes the demand is high and they have to make sure they increase the supply to match the demand and it’s a necessary drug it’s not something you want to skip."