The end of the “Ozmpic-mania”: today the Ministry of Health ordered pharmacists throughout the country to no longer sell Ozmpic preparations for weight loss, but for the original indication for which they were intended – treatment of diabetes patients. The patients who were treated with Ozmpic will be asked to gradually switch to the Vigovi treatment according to the new dosage guidelines.
The Ozmpic craze began in Israel a little over two years ago, after a study was published in the US on the drug Vigobi which resulted in a significant weight loss of more than 20% of body weight. The dose of Vigobi taken once a week and which led to the significant weight loss is 2.4 milligrams. In Israel at the time, only the Ozmpic preparation was approved, The same injection only in a dose of 1 milligram, and it was intended for the treatment of diabetics only to balance the glucose levels in the blood, but it was found that according to patient reports, it also leads to a feeling of satiety and weight loss of about 14%.
Hamas in a message to the mediating countries: “We are unable to identify and locate 40 abductees alive”
She was lured to a woman’s house – and was shot 6 times: this is how a senior Hezbollah official was eliminated in Beirut
Since then, the panic over Ozampic began: Israelis suffering from obesity received a special permit (form 29c) to treat Ozampic even though they are not diabetic, which led to the emptying of the shelves for almost a year and a severe shortage of Ozampic treatment for diabetics for whom the drug was intended in the first place.
As you remember, the weight loss injections contain the substance similar to the GLP1 hormone that has a multidimensional effect on the body: it causes a slowdown in stomach motility, a feeling of satiety, a reduction in blood sugar levels, and recently it was found that it reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
weight loss injections. Multidimensional effect (Photo: Omer Donski)
As we published in Maariv, the Ministry of Health already last June approved the marketing of Wegobi in Israel, and about two weeks ago the medicine landed in Israel, and it can be obtained by special order in most pharmacies. Upon delivery of the prescription, the medicine usually arrives in the required dose within a few days. In light of this, the Ministry of Health stated today that it will no longer approve the unusual use of Ozampic for weight loss, and ordered pharmacists to no longer sell the drug. Those who have an old authorization to receive Uzmpic, will be able to continue receiving it until the end of the authorization, which is usually valid for 6 months. New patients suffering from obesity will now have to get a Vigovi injection from a prescriber.
In the new directive distributed by Eli Marom, the Deputy Director of the Pharmacy Division, it is written: “Section 47 A of the Pharmacists’ Ordinance states that no person shall produce or market a preparation or order its use, unless it is a registered preparation and in accordance with the registration and this ordinance. With the registration and marketing of an alternative therapeutic for the requested indication, you should not continue to order the use of Ozmpic for the treatment of obesity, which is the unregistered indication for this product. Patients who are being treated with Ozmpic for the treatment of obesity should be referred to the attending physician, in order to change treatment to a registered preparation. Form 29 C validly active in the online system can continue the treatment until the end of the validity of the approval, in order to prevent damage to the treatment sequence.”
According to the new guidelines, those who have not been treated with slimming injections until now, will receive Vigobi in injections at an initial dose of 0.25 milligrams, and will gradually increase the doses once every month to two months until reaching the final dose of 2.4 milligrams once a week. The injection usually has to be taken for life as according to the medical literature a break in treatment leads to renewed obesity. The cost of the injection in the initial dose is NIS 600 per month, and in the final dose of 2.4 milligrams – NIS 1,200 per month.
Wigobi. Gradual increase in dosage (Photo: Novo Nordisk)
