Government Bans Export of Blockbuster Weight Loss Drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to Shore Up Supplies
The UK government has implemented an immediate blanket ban on the export of blockbuster weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy in an effort to shore up supplies. The ban affects wholesalers and is expected to impact millions of overweight Brits who could benefit from semaglutide, the generic name for both fat-fighting injections. While the drug is not yet widely available in Britain due to supply constraints, it will eventually be available on the high street.
Semaglutide, dubbed Hollywood’s worst-kept secret, suppresses appetite, helping people lose up to a fifth of their weight. However, trials have shown that semaglutide users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking it. Despite being hailed as a miracle, the drug can trigger a variety of nasty side effects, including nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, and hair loss.
Experts say the drug’s phenomenal success has driven a TikTok-fuelled stampede, with stocks now running dry across the world. Department of Health chiefs have added all forms of semaglutide to its parallel export ban list, meaning wholesalers are not allowed to buy stocks to sell them abroad, where they can drastically up the price.
Here are some key points to note:
– The UK government has implemented an immediate blanket ban on the export of blockbuster weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy in an effort to shore up supplies.
– Semaglutide, the generic name for both fat-fighting injections, suppresses appetite, helping people lose up to a fifth of their weight.
– Despite being hailed as a miracle, the drug can trigger a variety of nasty side effects, including nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, and hair loss.
– Department of Health chiefs have added all forms of semaglutide to its parallel export ban list, meaning wholesalers are not allowed to buy stocks to sell them abroad, where they can drastically up the price.
– The ban is expected to impact millions of overweight Brits who could benefit from semaglutide, but the drug is not yet widely available in Britain due to supply constraints.
– Trials have shown that semaglutide users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking it.
– The NHS is launching a two-year pilot scheme to explore ways to make obesity medication available outside hospital, which will see semaglutide injections given to tens of thousands.
– Ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed he took the ‘wonder drug’ but admitted it ‘didn’t work for me’.
– Other weight loss medications include Tirzepatide, Liraglutide, and Orlistat, each with their own set of side effects and costs.
The ban on exporting weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy is expected to have a significant impact on the availability of these drugs in the UK. While semaglutide has been hailed as a miracle drug for weight loss, it is not without its side effects and limitations. As the NHS launches a pilot scheme to explore ways to make obesity medication more widely available, it remains to be seen how effective these drugs will be in the long term.
