FDA says this weight loss drug shortage is over, but patients worry about cost and availability For many patients on tirzepatide, a transformative medication used for weight loss and diabetes, the end of the drug's shortage was anything but welcome news
Understanding this timeline helps set realistic expectations as you begin treatment for type 2 diabetes or chronic weight management
Since control of diabetes and obesity are significant health outcome risk factors, it is conceivable that the shortages and high cost of GLP1 agonists will exacerbate existing health disparities. David Cutler, MD His perspective echoed what Ma told us, namely that [o]ne of the biggest bottlenecks with GLP-1RA access is cost and insurance. Even if a doctor prescribes [this type of drug], patients cannot obtain it if their insurance does not cover it, which could worsen disparities, especially for those with public insurance or in underserved populations, he also emphasized
Statements Data availability statement The datasets for this article are not publicly available because the raw imaging files are stored on a secure server, as per the ethics approval