The company expects ‘pent-up demand’ for the drug to subside within the next few months<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Physician\u2019s Briefing Staff HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) \u00e2\u0080\u0093 The wildly popular weight-loss drug Wegovy has become hard to find, but that could soon change.<\/p>\n
Novo Nordisk, which makes the medication, said Wednesday that it has increased production to meet demand. “We know for a fact that patients have been lined up,” CEO Lars Jorgensen said on a call with investors, NBC News<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Wegovy (semaglutide) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist, mimicking a hormone that cuts appetite and helps reduce food intake. It costs about $1,300 a month and often is not covered by insurance. An off-label alternative is the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic, which is a smaller dose of semaglutide and is approved to help regulate blood sugar levels. Novo Nordisk also makes Ozempic.<\/p>\n Novo Nordisk expects “pent-up demand” for Wegovy to subside during the next few months, Jorgensen said. “We are obviously encouraged by the trend line we see, but we also do believe there will be a normalization of that,” he said.<\/p>\n During the shortage, some Americans have gained some or all of their weight back as they have given up the medication, NBC News<\/em> reported. The company “looks forward” to the medication’s wider availability, said Doug Langa, head of North American operations for the Danish company.<\/p>\n