The Ozempocalypse Is Nigh

The post says cheap compounded GLP-1 drugs are ending because the FDA has declared the shortage over and confirmed that compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide can no longer be sold after the listed dates. It argues that this changes access for people who had been buying these drugs for about $200 a month instead of the usual price.

It also describes the legal strategies companies are trying, the new direct-to-consumer businesses from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the way Lilly’s packaging blocks dose arbitrage, and the mixed reactions from users who are either stockpiling or trying DIY versions. The post closes by saying the last few years were a successful experiment in semi-free-market medicine, with complex peptides delivered direct to consumers and no worse side effects than other medications.

Reading notes

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• Three GLP-1 drugs are approved for weight loss in the United States, but semaglutide and tirzepatide are preferred over liraglutide and are expensive when bought from the pharma companies.
• During the shortage, compounding pharmacies could sell these drugs without patent-holder permission, which let telehealth startups offer them for about $200 a month.
• The FDA has now declared the shortage over, and compounding pharmacies can no longer sell cheap GLP-1 drugs after the listed dates.
• Some companies are trying to keep selling by using narrow compounding arguments, such as special doses, drug mixtures, or unusual routes of administration.
• The post suggests these plans may depend on doctors writing prescriptions that describe the unusual dose as medically necessary.
• Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have opened consumer-facing businesses that sit between traditional care and the old telehealth-compounder model.
• Lilly Direct offers to find a doctor and deliver medications directly, with an average dose price of about $500.
• Lilly is selling single-dose vials without preservatives, which prevents dose-splitting arbitrage.
• Users on GLP-1 subreddits are reacting by stockpiling medication or turning to DIY peptide preparation.
• The post says the recent period showed that direct-to-consumer peptide treatment worked well, with convenient access and no more side effects than other medications.