B.C. wants federal clamp on weight and diabetes drug Ozempic being exported to U.S. | 24CA News

British Columbia needs a federal authorities clampdown on prescription guidelines after hundreds of doses of the hyped weight reduction drug Ozempic went to Americans, doled out by a single practitioner in Nova Scotia.

Health Minister Adrian Dix mentioned Tuesday that he’s asking provincial and federal regulators to look into two Metro Vancouver pharmacies and the Nova Scotia practitioner chargeable for hundreds of Ozempic prescriptions issued to Americans within the first two months of 2023.

Though the injectable drug is prescribed primarily to deal with diabetes, Dix mentioned Ozempic’s weight reduction side-effects have been overestimated by promoting and celebrity-driven social media chatter.

“The drug’s popularity on social media, and the, I think, almost unprecedented campaign of advertising for the drug, is driving a surge in demand and is resulting in shortages of Ozempic, not yet in British Columbia, but in other jurisdictions, including the United States,” Dix mentioned.

2:02B.C. to restrict gross sales of Ozempic to non-Canadians

He mentioned the province is taking motion to make sure sufferers in B.C. proceed to have entry to the drug and keep away from potential shortages.

In the primary two months of 2023, Dix mentioned upwards of 15 per cent of Ozempic prescriptions in B.C. had been being stuffed for American sufferers who obtain the remedy by mail.

Dix mentioned the state of affairs involving Ozempic is “unacceptable,” and famous that lower than half a per cent of different medication in B.C. are prescribed to non-residents.

“We would never have sufficient supply of Ozempic in British Columbia to satisfy the needs of the American market,” he mentioned. “We have to protect patients here.”

Nova Scotia’s Department of Health and Wellness mentioned in a press release that it’s conscious of the state of affairs and has reached out to the province’s College of Physicians and Surgeons about “what is taking place.”

“We advise any Nova Scotians with concerns about a physician’s prescribing behaviour to contact the college,” the division’s assertion mentioned.

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Dix mentioned it doesn’t make sense to permit B.C.’s provide to be drained and exported, pushed by elevated demand from Americans who’ve lengthy turned to Canada as a supply of cheaper pharmaceuticals.

The drug’s public profile is exceptionally excessive, and Dix mentioned drug shortages of any kind are regarding.

“It’s Ozempic today, it might be another drug tomorrow, but I don’t think this is a short-term thing,” he mentioned. “It’s a significant drug and it’s part of our PharmaCare system.”

Bernie Garrett, a professor within the faculty of nursing on the University of British Columbia, mentioned off-label advertising and marketing of prescribed drugs has been problematic for years.

He mentioned Ozempic is efficient to deal with Type 2 diabetes as designed, nevertheless it’s additionally efficient for weight reduction, albeit with important dangers connected, together with thyroid most cancers as a potential side-effect.

Policing misinformation about pharmaceutical medication on the web is tough, Garrett mentioned, as a result of it’s “outside of our regulatory control.”

“TikTok videos can be made anywhere,” he mentioned.

4:00Health Matters: Ozempic for weight reduction

Garrett mentioned Ozempic could certainly be efficient for weight reduction, nevertheless it’s not accepted or secure for that use no matter how “fashionable” it’s turn out to be on account of its celebrity-endorsed social media hype.

“The reason they put these restrictions on the use of these drugs is because they have significant reservations about using them outside of the scope where they’ve tested them,” Garrett mentioned. “People who are doing this are really just being guinea pigs.”

Dix mentioned the province is working with the drug’s provider to make sure there’s sufficient Ozempic for diabetes sufferers in B.C.

He mentioned he needs a federal authorities evaluate beneath the Food and Drugs Act “to address the concerning number of Ozempic prescriptions emanating from practitioners in one province.”

Ozempic is a high-value and high-demand remedy, Dix mentioned, however the massive variety of prescriptions being shipped to Americans doesn’t essentially imply any guidelines had been damaged by the pharmacist or issuing medical skilled.

“But I think a reasonable person would say this is not what should happen, that drugs be imported into Canada and then diverted to the United States,” Dix mentioned.

He mentioned he’s asking the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia to make sure pharmacies are following drug dishing out guidelines due to the “unusually high” variety of prescriptions being stuffed for non-Canadian residents.

Provincial and federal regulators must work collectively to guard the availability of in-demand medicines and keep away from “mass exportation” of a drug wanted by Canadian sufferers, Dix mentioned.

“It’s a national problem. It’s a problem across the 10 provinces. This is a drug that’s in demand. There’s significant off-label use that we all know about related to weight loss,” he mentioned. “We need to take some action.”

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