There is a significant shift that will take effect on May 22 for compounding pharmacies nationwide. These local wholesalers no longer supply semaglutide injections, the less expensive substitute for expensive weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.
For small business owners like Phoenix, Arizona’s Melrose Pharmacy owner Teresa Dickinson, the news is not good. “Already trying to stay afloat is hard enough,” Dickinson said. “It will be harder if semaglutide injections are discontinued.”
Melrose Pharmacy started dispensing compounded semaglutide injections a few months ago to individuals looking for a more affordable weight-management solution. The medication, roughly $225 a month, a tenth of the stunning $1,200 price of brand-name drugs, was embraced by patients shortly after.
The FDA initially approved dispensing compounded semaglutide due to a shortage of the medication. Since the shortage has now officially been eliminated, on April 24 a federal judge ruled that compounding pharmacies were to stop making and distributing the injections.
Although the FDA’s move is the return of commercially available semaglutide, the majority of the patients would be unable to pay for it. Dickinson shared her strong objection, pointing out that the patients themselves would be the ones to suffer.
“This is not about business, it is about people,” she said. “People have used semaglutide injections to control their diabetes, lose weight, and prevent serious health issues. They are now going to have to pay a great deal more or give up something.”.
Patients are left in a quandary after having relied on compounded versions for health and affordability. Dickinson’s pharmacy will still carry the brand-name Ozempic and Wegovy, but she is aware that not everyone may find the high cost to be an affordable alternative.
For people who are not able to afford brand-name injections, there is, nevertheless, hope. Since there is no commercial alternative for semaglutide yet, Dickinson intends to carry a compounded oral (sublingual) form of the medication, which is still allowable. Following May 22, she assured, “we will still be able to help people through the sublingual version.”
It won’t be a simple transition despite this solution. Most people are afraid they will lose their hard-earned health insurance if they are not able to have access to fairly priced semaglutide injections. Dickinson cautions pharmacies caught compounding the shots after May 22 with extreme punishment.
For the majority of Americans who count on compounded medicines as a lifeline, this move is a serious setback, not only for pharmacists. With semaglutide injections now being introduced, patients will have to deal with a health care system that too often seeks brand-name profits over affordable care.
