Study finds increased popularity of weight loss drugs could make access to them harder

BOSTON - Two new studies highlight some of the challenges people face looking for popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. 

A study published in JAMA finds that the surging popularity of Ozempic and Wegovy among patients with private insurance could make it harder for people on Medicare and Medicaid to get them, which could lead to people desperately looking for online sources.

However, a new study published in JAMA Network Open found that about 42-percent of online pharmacies selling the active ingredient are doing so illegally, without a prescription or a valid license, and are often shipping counterfeit products that could be harmful.  

In fact, poison control centers have reported a 1500% increase in calls related to the drug, highlighting the need for greater surveillance of online scams.  

In:
• Wegovy
• Ozempic

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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