A growing number of diabetics are being forced to switch treatments due to shortages of both Ozempic and the alternative dulaglutide (Trulicity).

In particular, several citizens Then from an exhausting “safari” to pharmacies find a drug they bought before it became “fashionable” forced majority receive another modified treatment at the risk of not only dysregulating their sugar, but also side effects and complications.

“First Week Without Ozempic”

Mr. Giorgos Ganatopoulos did not inject himself with Ozempic this week. He couldn’t find it anywhere. Today he measured his blood sugar and saw that it had reached 160, whereas in the past it was 110.

“I started looking for an Ozempic box last week. I had to visit more than eight pharmacies, however Ozempic is nowhere to be found. I am very concerned at the moment that my sugar has been regulated with Ozempic and I am already seeing the first changes in my health,” says Mr Ganatopoulos, who notes that his doctor advised him to limit certain foods during this time and continue taking the rest of his medication until a solution is found.

“I have been taking Ozempic for two years now. Since then I have lost 4-5 kg. However, when the doctor prescribed the medicine, it was not to lose weight, but to regulate blood sugar levels. In the end, I managed to do both. But now I feel fear“, says Mr. Ganatopoulos, adding that his wife is also experiencing the same anxiety as the doses she has to do with Trulicity are running out and she already hears that a particular drug is also in short supply.

“I have about three more doses, which is three weeks before I need Trulicity again. I hope that by then the problem will be solved, as I have been treated for diabetes for 20 years, as a result of which my sugar levels are stable,” emphasized Ms. Vasiliki Ganatopoulou.

“Where I was injecting once a week, I should be injecting daily”

Mr. Pantelis Xanthidis is on the Trulicity treatment and has gone to great lengths to find him, otherwise his treatment would have changed.

“Due to the shortage of Ozempic, there is also currently a severe shortage of the alternative diabetes drug Trulicity. So, a few days ago, since I couldn’t find this particular remedy anywhere, my doctor informed me that my medication had to change, and if I was injecting once a week, I would now be getting a new treatment that would require an injection daily. Then I went from Piraeus, where I live, to Athens and began look for Trulicity from drugstore to drugstore. Luckily for me, yesterday I was notified that the jar had been found,” Mr. Xantidis told K.

“Ozempic is not even on trial”

Pharmacists tell K about their daily struggle to find a solution for their long-term diabetes patients.

“EWe have patients on the waiting list. At first we tried to help them by moving the drug from pharmacy to pharmacy and from pharmacy to pharmacy. However, now Ozempic is not even available for testing,” says the pharmacist. Stylianos Kalogeropoulosindicating that demand for the drug has doubled or tripled since last year.

For his part, Mr. Giannis Cavalaris, the owner of a pharmacy in Ano Patisia, notes that he currently has two of his own customers, whom he cannot serve for 20 days due to a shortage.

“Especially last period prevails chaos and we can’t figure it out. The most important thing is that we, as pharmacists, must ensure that the patient is treated, and at the moment this is not happening, ”he notes.

Mister. Adamantius Psarianus he is also unable to serve the customers of his pharmacy in Sepolia. “Every day we have more than ten customers who come with their recipe. and they ask to get Ozempic. Unfortunately, we have no other choice but to invite them to contact their doctor for alternative solutions,” he notes. He also adds that his pharmacy lacks more than 400 drugs, such as Augmentin in tablet form, as well as its Greek generic.

On the other hand, Mr. Konstantinos Serbinis “He made sure to provide early notice of Ozempic shortages so that patients could talk to their doctors. At the moment, there is a shortage of more than 100 drugs in the pharmacy,” he emphasizes.

OUR Evangelos FrangoulisChief Family Physician and Secretary General of the Hellenic Academy of General/Family Medicine, notes for her part that many colleagues “baptize” obese patients as diabeticsin order to get EOPYY coverage because it is a particularly expensive drug.

“This drug is especially important for diabetic patients and especially for those with increased cardiovascular risk,” he adds.

Risks of stopping Ozempic

Professor of Pathology – Diabetes Mellitus and Vice President of the Hellenic Diabetes Association, Nikolaos Papanasindicates to “K” that the lack of Ozempic prevents people with diabetes from achieving the therapeutic results they seek in collaboration with their physician.

“There is a matter patients who are unable to lower their sugar levels due to lack of medication in the morning, but especially after meals. In addition, since the drug is especially effective for reducing body weight, h discontinuation increases the risk of weight gain. Finally, specific people they lack its protective effect on the vessels, but also on the organs of the body“, emphasizes Mr. Papanas.

“This medicine should not be given without a medical certificate”

Associate Professor of Pathology – Diabetes at the Medical School of Athens and Chairman of the Board of Directors. at Elpis Hospital, Panagiotis Halvatsiotisindicates “K” that it does not make sense to deregulate the treatment of a citizen for the sake of the interests of others, especially at a time when a particular drug has a number of positive effects for patients with diabetes.

Referring to the heard cases, according to which many citizens who do not suffer from diabetes receive Ozempic for the sole purpose of losing weight, the professor points to a great danger.

“According to the study, the administration of this drug to some patients led to an increase in venous blood clots by 266%. This shows that we must be very careful. This medicine should not be given without a medical certificate as someone’s life could be in danger.”he pointed out.

When will the drug be available again?

The information that PFS has from pharmacies and from the company is that Ozempic 1 ml formulations will be available on the market again at the end of July. Preparations tfrom 0.50ml will be availableA back to onen month, while 0.25 ml formulations are still on the market.

As for Trulicity’s alternative proposed dosage form, it is currently under special pharmacy management, which means that pharmacies do not receive additional dosage forms until the next collection.

Recipe control and batch accounting

As for the measures that can or could be taken to prevent us from reaching this situation, most people believe that the necessary solution is to control prescriptions, register batches, and also ban the export of a particular drug until the situation. normal condition.

“We know that the company sends a certain amount of the drug to our country. That’s why mIa simple batch count will help to solve many issues, but not to lead to its deficiency,” notes Mr. Halvatsiotis.

And Mr. Frangulis, for his part, suggests checking the recipes. “It’s critical Ministry of Health to take urgent action in order to prioritize the amount of medicines available to the patients who need them most. At the same time, he must check the intake of these drugs by electronic prescription and identify cases in which there are no indications for admission, as well as responsible doctors, ”he concludes.