UK clinics told to stop prescribing antidiabetes drugs for weight loss, after shortages

The UK government has urged healthcare providers to stop prescribing appetite suppressant drugs for weight loss because current shortages were creating “serious clinical implications” for patients with type 2 diabetes.In a national patient safety alert issued on 18 July,1 the Department of Health and Social Care for England and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said there were “very limited, intermittent supplies” of all glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists because of the rise in demand for the drugs to aid weight loss.The alert, sent to NHS and private healthcare providers, applies to a host of drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, including semaglutide (Ozempic or Rybelsus), dulaglutide (Trulicity), liraglutide (Victoza or Saxenda), Lixisenatide (Lyxumia) and exenatide (Byetta or Bydureon).Of these drugs, liraglutide is licensed for weight loss in the UK for use in specialist NHS weight management services.2The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has…
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