Free online tool helps patients find Ozempic amid nationwide shortage

FDA has reported a nationwide GLP-1 drug shortage
Free online tool allows Americans to report diabetes drug shortages
Roughly 15.5 million U.S. adults use these medications as weight loss drugs

Updated: Jul 10, 2024 / 12:40 PM CDT

FILE – The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. A preliminary review of side effects from popular drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity shows no link with suicidal thoughts or actions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. But the agency also said officials cannot definitively rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that they’ll continue to look into reports regarding more than a dozen drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

(NewsNation) — Ro, an American telehealth company, has come up with a solution to help diabetic patients looking for medications containing Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) — like Ozempic and Wegovy — amid a nationwide supply shortage.

The company created a free online tool that allows real people to report diabetes drug shortages in their areas as well as report when they are in stock. The tool, an interactive map, lights up with a yellow lightning bolt every few seconds, indicating where users have reported GLP-1 medication availability and shortages.

While these types of treatments are more accessible than they have been in years prior, one misunderstanding about them is that they’re easy to get.

Almost all dosages of the four brand names are listed as “currently in shortage” by the FDA. Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company behind Zepbound and Mounjaro, told NBC News supply issues could last into 2025.

Plus, roughly 15.5 million U.S. adults use the medications as weight loss drugs, meaning limited availability is a top issue.