Big Pharma’s monopoly on Ozempic hurts access for diabetes patients in communities of color

Black Americans suffer from obesity at disproportionate rates, but the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic isn’t available in many inner-city neighborhoods.

The number of people living with diabetes worldwide is on pace to more than double in the next three decades, according to a recent study published in The Lancet. This increase will bring the total number of diabetic patients worldwide to a staggering 1.3 billion by 2025, making diabetes one of the top 10 leading causes of death and disability in the world.

The origins of the Ozempic craze

On Dec. 5, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a then-little-known injectable drug called semaglutide, known commercially as Ozempic, to help millions of people suffering with diabetes. Ozempic lowers blood sugar by stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin. It has shown continual success with lowering blood sugar in diabetes patients. The introductions of Ozempic and twin drug Wegovy have changed the game for millions of people worldwide who have been struggling with diabetes. One of its known side effects, however, was dramatic weight loss.  

Ozempic gained notoriety in early 2022 when celebrities who do not suffer from diabetes began publicizing the drug’s ability to assist in fast-acting weight loss. It quickly went from a lifesaving medication for diabetics to the celebrity go-to for shedding unwanted pounds. In 2021 in the United States alone, prescriptions of the miracle drug quadrupled, creating a worldwide shortage and creating ripple effects through many communities. 

One patient thought he had found a solution to his endless battle with obesity and diabetes when he was prescribed Ozempic. The effects were life altering and almost immediate, he said.

The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. Photo credit: David J. Phillip, The Associated Press
The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. Photo credit: David J. Phillip, The Associated Press

“I weighed more than 365 pounds and after being hospitalized for heart failure, my doctor recommended I take Ozempic,” said Valentine Paterson, a 52-year-old Uber driver who lives in Brooklyn, New York.

“Within four months of taking the drug, I lost 65 pounds, and my doctor reduced my other medications from nine to four,” Paterson continued. “It changed my life. But then I could not get my prescription filled. I looked for months; it was a nightmare. All the work and progress I was making was slipping away, all because I was unable to pay out of pocket.”

The reason Paterson could not get his prescription filled is because his local pharmacy, like many others nationwide, was no longer able to obtain the blockbuster medication. The Ozempic and Wegovy craze created a nationwide shortage of medication by those willing to pay the exorbitant out-of-pocket costs getting first cracks at the available supply.  So, while pharmacies in lower-income neighborhoods could not stock their shelves, pharmacies on Manhattan’s tony Upper East Side had a 12-month supply of the drug readily available for those able to pay $1,400.00 per prescription. Given this gap, people began to ask who could help. 

Semaglutide patient Valentine Paterson of Brookyn, New York. Photo credit: Valentine Paterson/Zenger News
Semaglutide patient Valentine Paterson of Brookyn, New York. Photo credit: Valentine Paterson/Zenger News

Compounding pharmacies to the rescue

Enter the compounding pharmacy, a facility authorized to produce custom drug orders in times of a national shortage, according to the FDA. A compounding pharmacy makes and sells prescription medicines based on specific formulas provided by the FDA.   When a medicine makes its way to the national shortage list, compounding pharmacies are authorized to make generic versions of those medications to assist those in need. When a medicine is not on the national shortage list, compounding pharmacies are only authorized to make alternate forms of the prescribed drug. Ozempic has been on both the worldwide and U.S. shortage lists since April of 2022.  However, what happens when Big Pharma doesn’t want to let compounding pharmacies earn money they feel belongs to them even during a shortage?

Lifeline Pharmacy is a small compounding pharmacy run by Dr. Aisha Johnson in the heart of South Los Angeles. For years, this pharmacy has served as a beacon of hope, providing personalized care and essential medications to the area’s predominantly Black and Latino residents. Among the most critical medications .Johnson compounds is semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black adults are nearly twice as likely as white adults to develop type 2 diabetes. This racial disparity has been rising over the last 30 years, creating a disproportionate need for certain medications in communities of color. Despite the FDA’s approval for compounding pharmacies to produce semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company that makes the drug, has targeted these providers in order to protect their profits and eliminate the competition.

In the Ward 8 area of Washington, D.C., a heavily populated community of Black and Latino residents, the drug remains in high demand with little to no supply.

“There is definitely a monopoly on it by Big Pharma,” said Dr. Damon Ricks, pharmacy manager at Sierra International Pharmaceuticals. “Small compounding pharmacies are definitely within their rights and scope to create these drugs when the FDA declares a shortage,” Ricks said.

Damon Ricks,, pharmacy manager of Sierra International Pharmaceuticals in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Damon Ricks/Zenger News
Damon Ricks,, pharmacy manager of Sierra International Pharmaceuticals in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Damon Ricks/Zenger News

The broad influence of Big Pharma

The impact of Big Pharma’s campaign is being felt in communities from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.

Novo Nordisk’s campaign, which claims compounded versions of semaglutide are unsafe and potentially life threatening, has created fear and uncertainty in those using compounded versions of the medication. Intensifying the problem, legislative proposals influenced by pharmaceutical lobbyists threaten to impose restrictions that would make it nearly impossible for small pharmacies to continue compounding semaglutide. For communities of color, this means losing a critical source of affordable and accessible medication.

“Big Pharma should not have a hold on these drugs,” Ricks said. “There needs to be a leveling of the playing field. I think having access to these drugs all across the board is needed. If a patient needs it for diabetes, then it should be made available to them. Prioritizing weight loss over diabetic patients is an injustice to our health care system.”

But Big Pharma continues to push for stricter regulations on compounding pharmacies, claiming the need for patient safety. However, insufficient evidence exists to back up any of the claims made by Big Pharma. Compounding pharmacies must comply with existing rigorous standards to make any medication. They follow these standards in order to serve economically depressed communities of color. The popularity of these drugs has made it difficult for average Americans to afford or find these medications. These are not just weight loss medications; they are tools for survival for many diabetic patients.  Due to Big Pharma’s pushbacks, many patients have been forced to accept lower doses of these drugs to maintain any benefits even though most experience little to no progress with the reduced dosage.

Zenger News is a Black News & Views partner. The original version of this piece can be found here.

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