Novo Nordisk have informed the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) that Ozempic (semaglutide) will not be available in Australia from mid-November 2022 until the end of March 2023.
It is recommended that patients who are prescribed Ozempic should contact their doctor immediately to have their treatment reassessed. This is especially important as we approach the holiday season and medical services will be limited for several weeks.
The worldwide shortage of semaglutide started to affect Australia in early 2022 when Novo Nordisk couldn't supply enough Ozempic to meet an unexpected increase in demand due to off-label prescribing for weight loss.
The TGA has approved the supply of overseas-registered semaglutide products temporarily under section 19A of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. Although these are the same medicine as the Australian-registered Ozempic, they come from suppliers in other countries and may be considerably more expensive.
While the Australian-registered Ozempic is subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the overseas-registered products currently are not. Even though the suppliers of these overseas brands that have been approved under section 19A can apply to have them subsidised under the PBS, the TGA can't force them to do so. Medicines can only be subsidised under the PBS if the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommends they should be listed on the PBS.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has published new advice for doctors who have patients affected by the shortage of Ozempic. Diabetes Australia also have useful advice for people living with diabetes whose treatment is being changed.
You can find further information on the Ozempic (semaglutide) shortage on the TGA website here.
