Not all weight loss drugs – GLP-1 inhibitors – are created the same.
There are the main brand names: Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and others. And there are a whole bunch of cloned versions, which are a fraction of the price.
Lots of people are paying for these drugs in cash. Not covered by insurance. So they’re opting for the copycats.
And those copied versions are made by compounding pharmacies. Those are legit. There’s a role for them in the drug system. But, because of a loophole in regulation, the weight loss drug clones have exploded in supply in the marketplace.
And, it’s really hard to know which are safe and which aren’t – because they’re not as closely regulated.
I did a story for Marketplace about how the massive scale of the cloning issue is actually eating into the profits of the big drug makers involved: Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
The experts I talked to were also worried about people’s safety, when it comes to the compounded drugs, because there is very little oversight over what compounding pharmacies are doing and the quality of the main ingredients they’re using.
Also, keep in mind, the drug companies have discount programs that people can apply for. So, that may be a better option for you.
InterArts Fresno 