It pains us to see a lot of desperate people risk their health by injecting a mystery product in mass even though it is not FDA approved.
We’re talking about the knockoff versions of legitimate GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound. They come from a mix of startup telehealth companies, celebrity-endorsed Instagram ads, and TikTok influencers.
These products say they contain the same active ingredients in the name brand drugs (semiglutide and tirzepatide) but testing has shown they can contain up to 24% impurities, and some labs have come back showing they can contain none of the active ingredient.
Unlike name-brand drugs, there are little-to-no FDA regulations around these so-called “compounded” medications, so patients are essentially taking them on a wing-and-a-prayer.
It’s no wonder why:
*The name-brand versions of these drugs cost over $1,000 a month without insurance, and insurers are increasingly denying claims and kicking people off their coverage
*The knock-off versions cost as little as $150 a month
This sort of thing isn’t usually a problem with most meds because there is a clear pattern of how this stuff works:
1. Drugmakers get a patent on a drug for a decade or so
2. Then the market is flooded with generics
But there have been consistent shortages of GLP-1 meds – and the law allows compounded pharmacies to step in and fill the gap in those cases.
Still, the FDA has made it clear patients should use name-brand medications that are FDA-approved. In laying out its concerns, the FDA notes it has received over 600 reports of “adverse events” of people taking knock-off versions of the drugs, including over 100 hospitalizations and several deaths, while noting the real numbers are higher because they go under-reported.
Overall, about 45% of all drug recalls over the past decade have been at compounded pharmacies, even though they make up about 1% of the overall pharmacy market.
One way to circumnavigate this whole mess?
Doctors and patients are using services like ours to reduce out-of-pocket costs for weight loss meds. RxLink can:
*Connect them directly with manufacturers, which can cut the cash price of the drugs in half
*Apply all available coupons and pharmacy discounts, which can cut the price at the pharmacy register
*Direct patients to manufacturer direct channels with advantageous cash pricing
It’s a shame patients are being forced to choose between potentially unsafe meds and breaking the bank. At RxLink, we’re working hard so patients have a third option.