Demand for Ozempic not slowing despite proposed lawsuit, pharmacists say
CTV
Whether for weight loss or diabetes management, Canadian pharmacists say demand for Ozempic prescriptions does not appear to be slowing, despite a proposed lawsuit over alleged side effects.
Whether for weight loss or diabetes management, Canadian pharmacists say demand for Ozempic prescriptions does not appear to be slowing, despite a proposed lawsuit over alleged side effects.
The lawsuit, filed with the Supreme Court of British Columbia in October, claims the makers of Ozempic—a drug created to manage Type 2 diabetes, but which has gained massive popularity as a weight loss tool—failed to adequately describe the potential side effects. Those side effects, the document states, include intense vomiting, painful gallstones and masses of food slowly forming a painful obstruction in the stomach as the result of a condition called gastroparesis.
The proposed class-action lawsuit has not yet been authorized by a judge, and its claims haven’t been tested in court.
Regardless of the concerns raised by the lawsuit, pharmacists representing national and provincial associations say demand for the drug is as high as ever – high enough to fuel ongoing supply issues.
Moreover, they say they're not surprised to see the symptoms listed in the lawsuit.
"I haven't heard that people aren't prescribing it because of the adverse effects," Dr. Barry Power, chief pharmacist officer at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. "It's very common for adverse effects to become known after a drug is on the market, especially if it's in very widespread use, as Ozempic is, so when I saw the reports, I wasn't particularly shocked."
Jen Belcher, pharmacist and vice president of strategic initiatives for the Ontario Pharmacists Association, agrees.
