Patients Are Left With Few Options as GLP-1 Copycats Disappear

Futter’s provider, Henry Meds, nary longer offers compounded tirzepatide injections, but allowed patients to spot bulk orders earlier phasing it out. He went up and ordered respective months’ worthy of vials but doesn’t cognize what he’s going to do erstwhile he runs out. “I’m highly tense astir what’s going to happen,” he says. “I'm eking each driblet I tin retired of each vial to make it agelong a small spot longer.” (As of publication, Henry Meds is offering caller and existent patients nan expertise to bulk bid 40 weeks of semaglutide injections. Henry Meds did not respond to a petition for comment.)

Jim Bertel, a 41-year-old who lives successful Colorado and credits tirzepatide for changing his life, was besides capable to stockpile his compounded GLP-1 medicine earlier his supplier stopped trading it. He’s unsure of what he’s going to do erstwhile he runs retired later this month, and he is spending clip scouring Reddit and Facebook forums to find which telehealth companies are still offering versions of nan drugs. “Right now my scheme is to return it period by month,” he says. “Hopping from supplier to provider.”

Jessie, 40, who asked to beryllium identified by her first sanction only, turned to a aesculapian spa to get compounded medications erstwhile she couldn’t get accordant entree done her security aliases superior attraction provider. Her supplier initially wrote her a medicine for Wegovy, but she says it was “touch and go” getting it filled. She was capable to supplement pinch a compounded type from nan med spa erstwhile it wasn’t available. But astatine nan extremity of past year, Jessie received a missive from her security institution saying it would nary longer screen Wegovy. Then her superior attraction supplier stopped penning prescriptions for weight nonaccomplishment medications, saying they were excessively overmuch of a hassle. She went backmost to nan med spa and was capable to get compounded semaglutide arsenic precocious arsenic April, but nan installation said it couldn’t guarantee proviso moving forward. She’s now considering buying nan supplier from Mexico since she travels often to San Diego for work. “It's nan aforesaid meds, you don't request a prescription, and it's cheaper,” she says. In Mexico, brand-name Wegovy can beryllium purchased for astir $200 a month.

Spotty security sum has helped thrust request for compounded GLP-1 products. Despite Wegovy and Zepbound being approved for patients pinch a assemblage wide scale of 30 aliases greater, and 27 aliases greater for those pinch astatine slightest 1 weight-related ailment, immoderate security plans require a higher BMI aliases further criteria for coverage—if they screen medications for obesity astatine all. “The full underlying taxable present is this stigma and bias of not recognizing obesity arsenic a illness for illustration we do crab and glucosuria and everything else,” says Florencia Halperin, an endocrinologist and main aesculapian serviceman astatine Form Health, an online aesculapian weight nonaccomplishment clinic, “For cancer, you would ne'er person an employer who says, ‘We're not covering this.’”

Amanda Bonello, laminitis and CEO of nan GLP-1 Collective, a nonprofit statement aiming to thief patients entree these medications, is not amazed astatine nan lengths patients are going to. Bonello, who herself has taken compounded GLP-1 products, says for galore patients she’s spoken to, nan effect of these medications is not conscionable astir nan weight itself.