– For me, Ozempic has meant a new life. The side effect is that I have lost weight, but that is not why I take the medicine. It is because of the diabetes. Three years ago, Hans Einar Johannessen could barely walk due to being overweight and in pain. At the GP, he was diagnosed with diabetes, and the doctor prescribed the diabetes medicine Ozempic. But now it will be more difficult. On 1 July, the state tightened the rules for the use of the diabetes and slimming medicine Ozempic. Now only those with diabetes have access to the medicine. From 23 September, the regulations for prescribing the medicine will be further tightened. Now it is no longer possible for doctors to automatically prescribe Ozempic on a blue prescription. They must send an application for each individual patient. The rules were introduced on 1 July, but those who have had prescriptions lying around have been able to continue using them. They don’t get that anymore. This is Ozempic Ozempic is basically a medicine developed against diabetes 2. Since it also reduces appetite, it has also been used as a slimming medicine. Ozempic is the trade name of a medicine containing semaglutide, a GLP-1 analogue. GLP1 analogues are the common name for medicines such as Saxenda, Ozempic and Wegovy. The Danish company Novo Nordisk has in practice a monopoly on these drugs in Norway now. GLP1 is a natural hormone in the gut that regulates blood sugar. The drugs contain a substance that mimics this hormone, and were developed to treat type 2 diabetes. On 1 July, the authorities tightened the rules for Ozempic. Today, in practice, only diabetics have access to GLP1 analogues. The Norwegian Association for General Medicine believes that the new scheme leads to extra work for GPs, and will affect the work they otherwise do. – It is cumbersome to send individual applications. It is also not good not to have the confidence to automatically prescribe the drug on a blue prescription, as has been done in the past, says manager Marte Kvittum Tangen. Some doctors have reported that it takes 10 to 15 minutes for each application. The Norwegian Directorate of Health is not aware that it takes so long. It takes five minutes on average per customized application, writes the specialist department in the directorate to news. Marte Kvittum Tangen is a specialist in general medicine and head of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. Photo: Anders Fehn / news Has cost the state NOK 1.2 billion This summer, the health authorities tightened up on the use of Ozempic. The background is that the medicine, which is actually meant for diabetics, was increasingly used as a slimming medicine. The demand was so great that the medicine stocks ran out, and expensive packs were imported from abroad. Because the medicine was on a blue prescription, it was the state that got the bill. 70,000 packs of the medicine were sold in June this year. Photo: Erik Waage / news ROGALAND Until the summer of this year, the medicine cost the state NOK 1.2 billion. That is more than the costs for the whole of 2023. Then the Directorate for Medical Products (DMP) decided that no one gets Ozempic on a blue prescription without the GP applying for this for each patient. – I fully understand that the authorities needed to tighten up. But I still believe that we could have avoided individual reimbursement with better information and training for the doctors, says Kvittum Tangen. Receives daily inquiries from frustrated patients The use of diabetes and the slimming drug Ozempic has plummeted since the authorities tightened its use this summer. 70,000 packs were sold in June. So far in September, only 23,000 packs have been sold, according to figures from the Association of Pharmacists. It is not just the doctors who feel that the regulations have become more complicated. The Diabetes Association says they receive daily inquiries from frustrated patients who do not understand the regulations. The patients think that the regulations are difficult to navigate, and feel that the doctors do not know what to do. Malin Lenita Vik is responsible for the Diabetes Association. Photo: Marianne Ytre-Eide / news The specialist in the Diabetes Association, Malin Lenita Vik, believes that diabetics must be allowed to use the medicine without an additional medicine. It is a requirement that Ozempic can only be used in combination with other diabetes medication. – That is the most important thing for us, and it is the most important thing for providing good drug treatment, says Lenita Vik. The Directorate for Medical Products writes to news that they are assessing whether Ozempic works against diabetes without an additional medicine, but that they will spend a long time on it. Got a feeling several times a week Before, Hans Einar Johannessen got a feeling several times a week, he says. In the past two years, he has only experienced it twice. He has also lost 60 kilos in weight. But Johannessen feels that many doctors are already struggling to cope with the bureaucracy associated with medicine. During the last few years, he has been treated by a number of different temporary GPs who he believes do not always know the regulations. Hans Einar Johannessen believes the printing process could have been smoother. Photo: Erik Waage / news ROGALAND – It was very complicated. He sat with this form for almost half an hour, and couldn’t figure it out, he says. – I was very unsure of how this was going to go. Should I no longer receive this medicine? – This could be made more flexible, he concludes. news has been in contact with Johannessen’s GP centre, who say they understand his frustration, and that they themselves are frustrated. Correction: In an earlier version of the article, it was stated that from July 1, Ozempic could only be prescribed in combination with another diabetes medicine. It is now fixed. The criteria for obtaining the diabetes medicine Ozempic on a blue prescription have not changed. Published 23/09/2024, at 19.16 Updated 24.09.2024, at 12.08
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Tightens prescribing of diabetes and the slimming drug Ozempic – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
