The weight-loss drug Zepbound is in short supply just months after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and manufacturer Eli Lilly blames the situation on high demand.
As of this week, most tirzepatide injections (marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound) have limited availability, according to the FDA’s shortage database. The reason cited for the tirzepatide shortage is “increased demand for the drug.”
The FDA approved Zepbound for weight loss in November. Tirzepatide was already on the market as the diabetes drug Munjaro, but its off-label use for weight loss occurred before Zepbound’s approval.
“Demand for our type 2 diabetes and obesity drugs is experiencing an unprecedented surge. As a result, in the U.S., several doses of Mounjaro® (tirzepatide), Zepbound® (tirzepatide), and Trulicity® (dulaglutide) We have limited doses available,” an Eli Lilly spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.
“We recognize that this situation can cause disruption to people’s treatment plans and are working with purpose and urgency to meet the surge in demand,” the spokesperson said. added. “As a pharmaceutical company, we recognize that our medicines help people live healthier lives, and we take this situation very seriously.”
Tirzepatide is a GLP-1 agonist and is in the same class of drugs as Ozempic. They work by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which stimulates insulin secretion. Interest in GLP-1 agonists has surged in recent years due to reports of their effectiveness and popularity among the wealthy and famous.
Eli Lilly executives told NBC News This means that limited supply will continue in the short term.
“We are working hard every day to increase our ability to get these medicines into patients’ hands as quickly as possible,” said Rhonda Pacheco, Eli Lilly Group vice president of diabetes and obesity. he said.
The company is working to address the shortage by opening a dedicated manufacturing facility in Concord, North Carolina, which doesn’t expect products to hit shelves until next year.
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