This is a trend that might become yet another health and legal scandal. For several days, the new star of TikTok has had a name: Ozempic. Nothing really “fashionable” behind it, because it is quite simply a prescribed treatment in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
But why has this drug become a “phenomenon” on this social network? The fact comes from a few “influencers” who simply explain that they inject themselves with a dose of Ozempic once a week with the aim of losing weight. “Reports from the field report misuse in non-diabetic people with the aim of losing weight“, specify jointly in particular the ANSM (Medicine Safety Agency) and Health Insurance.
“I draw attention to the vigilance of parents and people on this gesture which is not trivial“, points out Stéphane Pichon, president of the Regional Council of the Paca-Corsica order of pharmacists.
Decoding.
What is Ozempic?
It is an antidiabetic marketed in France by Novo Nordisk for 4 years, prescribed only in the case of treatment of type 2 diabetes.
“Ozempic will increase the insulin response and act on digestive transit“, details Stéphane Pichon. In other words, it will have a slimming effect on obese people.
Ozempic, a major health risk in this use case
Like any drug, Ozempic is intended to treat a specific pathology. And its diversion can lead to a major health risk, warns Stéphane Pichon. “This taking of the drug to lose weight can lead to pancreatic (inflammation of the pancreas, NDRL), to develop thyroid cancers etc…“. For pregnant women who are unaware of it, taking the drug can also be a teratogenic factor, that is, induce malformations in the fetus.
Legal proceedings considered
Ozempic is only delivered under medical prescription. In other words, from “fake prescriptions” are currently circulating to obtain the drug in pharmacies. “If these people are caught in possession of this type of order, they will be prosecuted at the criminal level.specifies Stéphane Pichon. The Social Security, which reimburses the drug, works a lot on these controls“.
A phenomenon that inevitably affects the region. Checks are carried out to find these “false patients” who are directly linked to drug trafficking in some way, the injection of which costs 80 euros.
What is the risk for real patients?
If this phenomenon increases, then the question of stocks arises. Because, as underlined by the representative of the Order of Pharmacists in the region, an implementation of “quotas“might lead to some shortage. Worse, this trend”cast suspicion on people who have real needs. Checks are carried out with the Social Security to find out if it is a real patient and therefore delay the treatment“regrets Stéphane Pichon.
Supply tensions have been noted by the ANSM and the laboratory, in particular due to an explosion in demand worldwide. Novo Nordisk admitted that “its current supply capacity does not always meet this excess demand“.