Ozempic should only be given to diabetes patients – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio

Recently, there have been major problems in obtaining the diabetes medicine Ozempic. One of the reasons is that many doctors have also prescribed the medicine to patients who have struggled with overweight and obesity. Today, the Directorate for Medical Products issued a new recommendation to Norwegian doctors. They ask doctors to only give the medicine to patients with diabetes. There are two reasons for that. – One is that there is a widespread shortage of Ozempic, says senior doctor Sigurd Hortemo in Dmp. The second is that what the authorities have done to solve the shortage up to now has cost a lot. It has been allowed to import Ozempic from abroad to Norwegian patients. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news – We know, among other things, that in 2023 this use of foreign packaging led to an additional expenditure of NOK 500 million, says Hortemo. At the same time, the directorate encourages pharmacies to only dispense the medicine for four weeks at a time, they write on their website. According to Aftenposten, around a quarter of the patients who have had Ozempic covered by the state have not been entitled to it. Other options – Those patients who have received Ozempic to treat overweight and obesity must have a chat with their doctor and agree on the current treatment. Hortemo says there are a number of other drugs that can be used to treat obesity. He also says that they are considering even more measures in the future. – We hope that this can help something, but we don’t think it’s enough. Over the next few weeks, the directorate will decide whether the rules linked to Ozempic should be changed. Until now, the medicine has been pre-approved. But it may soon become relevant that the doctors have to apply for reimbursement for each individual patient. – What happens to doctors who nevertheless prescribe Ozempic for obesity treatment according to this new recommendation? – We do not have measures that can prevent the prescription of Ozempic over the counter, but believe that the call, which is also supported by the Medical Association, should carry weight. Does this affect you? Then you can write what you mean in the comment box below here: Hi! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue



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