This May, the pharmaceutical market in Spain will welcome a new medication aimed at facilitating weight control in patients. The substance competes directly with the success of the drug Ozempic, whose main purpose is the treatment of type 2 diabetes and which has become popular for its weight loss effects, even generating shortages in pharmacies.
In this way, Wegovy seeks to alleviate the purchase of Ozempic and reassure the market for drugs for diabetics, so that they can find their medications without complications, since their alternatives are fewer. Specifically, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), an organization attached to the Ministry of Health, has reported this new addition to pharmacies.
Until now, only the drug Saxenda was authorized for the weight control indication, but now several presentations of the new drug, Wegovy, have been authorized, which is expected to be marketed from May 2024.
“In both cases, the indication for weight control is always in combination with healthy nutrition and an increase in physical activity,” explained the AEMPS. In this way, the Agency has placed a healthy lifestyle first.
On the other hand, the two drugs from the same therapeutic group that were promoted as an option will no longer be on sale: Byetta and Lyxumia.
Ozempic without prescription
Despite attempts to address the impact of the high demand for drugs for the treatment of diabetes, patients continue to be affected by supply problems that began at the end of 2022. The inspection services of the Autonomous Communities have reported cases of prescription of these medicines intended for indications not included in their technical sheet or without complying with the indications of the competent authorities.
Likewise, cases have also been found in which they are dispensed without the corresponding medical prescription, which can give rise to the administrative responsibilities provided for in the legislation.
Companies take advantage of the demand for these drugs.
Faced with obesity rates that have doubled since 1990 and a growing awareness around it, Morgan Stanley has published a report in which it highlights the companies that, by attacking these complications, could grow in the coming years.
“Our basic hypothesis is that the global obesity market will cover $105 billion by 2030,” says the North American bank. “Extrapolating the strong initial dynamics in the United States and the demand in Europe, we now predict that the global obesity market will be 28 billion dollars larger than what we estimated years ago,” he points out after highlighting that 20 million patients Americans will receive highly effective anti-obesity drugs in 2030.
