The Limited Life of Semaglutide and Compounding Pharmacies

The day will come when compounding pharmacies can no longer make Semaglutide. At The Natural Path, we only work with state of the art compounding pharmacists that we know have high quality practices and that we have a long standing relationship with over the last 20 years. The benefit of compounded Semaglutide is the price. It is a lot less expensive than the branded forms of Wegovy (FDA approved for weight loss with a BMI over 30 or a BMI Over 27 with a co-morbid condition) or Ozempic (FDA approved for type 2 diabetes). It is worth noting that compounded Semaglutide is not FDA approved. It is used “off label” for weight loss. Many medications are used in this way. We have had incredible success in using Semagluitde this past year for weight loss. At our office, we use Semagluitde as a TOOL to reset habits and patterns with food. In this way, the weight loss is maintained by most of our patients, and the lifestyle diet becomes the gift that keeps on giving. The active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and compounded Semaglutide is “semaglutide.”

SEMAGLUTIDE AND THE SHORTAGE LIST

At this time, the only reason Semaglutide has been able to be compounded in compounding pharmacies is due to the fact that the pharmaceutically branded forms have been put on the shortage list. It is my understanding that Novonordisk has to show that they can have an uninterrupted supply for 6 months to be removed from the shortage list. Once this happens, compounding pharmacies will no longer be able to make Semaglutide legally. Semaglutide is a patented molecule, and the patent does not run out until Dec 5, 2031 at the earliest.

LIRAGLUTIDE the SEMAGLUTIDE FUTURE ALTERNATIVE

Liraglutide is another GLP-1 agonist that has a shoretr half-life than Semaglutide. However, it is in the same class of medication (GLP-1 agonsit). The generic form of Liraglutide will be allowed to be manufactured in 2024. This will most likely be what we use in place of Semaglutide with our protocol. The main difference will be a daily injection instead of a weekly injection. Liraglutide will most likely also come in an oral form. However, due to the decrease in absorption in the gastrointestinal system, higher doses will be needed, and the oral form will be more expensive.

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