The Health Ministry in Belgium is considering a short-term ban on Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic as a weight loss treatment amid a shortage of the medicine in the country.
“We have told doctors they must reserve it for patients with type 2 diabetes but we see that this strategy does not work,” Health Minister Franck Vandenbroucke said.
“I know the drug can also be useful for people who suffer from morbid obesity …But I am convinced we need a strong and legal signal because simple recommendations are not enough,” he added.
Vandenbroucke said a ban would be temporary and last a few weeks or months, as necessary, depending on production and availability of the drug, reports Medscape.
And in Britain, doctors and prescribers, including private online pharmacies, have also been ordered to stop prescribing Ozempic to people who don’t have type 2 diabetes – as soon as possible.
They are also banned from starting new patients with type 2 diabetes on the medicine for as long as the shortage lasts.
The drug’s limited availability will apparently last until early 2024.
Medscape article – Belgium Plans Temporary Ban on Use of Ozempic for Weight Loss (Open access)
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