(NewsNation) — Some Americans are traveling to Mexico to obtain Ozempic, a weight loss drug that is in high demand and with a hefty price tag at times in the United States.
In most cases, the drug is not covered by insurance in the U.S., so Americans are participating in the medical tourism industry to get a cheaper version of the drug.
So what is Ozempic, what are the risks of buying it from Mexico, and what are medical experts saying?
What is Ozempic?
Diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide — better known by the brand names they are marketed under: Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — aren’t just being prescribed for diabetics anymore. They’ve become popular as everyone from celebrities, influencers to everyday Americans willing to spend about $1,000 a month have used the medicines to lose weight quickly.
In many cases, it’s only possible for nondiabetics to get their hands on the drugs because doctors and other medical professionals are prescribing them “off-label.”
Off-label prescribing, the Food and Drug Administration explains, is when a health care provider writes a prescription for an FDA-approved drug but for a use that is unapproved. It is a legal practice.
Mounjaro, for example, is only approved by the FDA to help Type 2 diabetics control their blood sugar. Doctors can still prescribe it for nondiabetics as a weight loss tool, but that’s up to their discretion.
Wegovy, on the other hand, was FDA-approved for weight management in 2021. The catch: The FDA approved the weekly injection “for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol).” Anyone who isn’t obese, or overweight with one of the named conditions, will need the doctor to prescribe it off-label.
The costs and the supply
According to GoodRx, Ozempic costs at least $915 a month without insurance. Many health care plans will cover the drug for diabetics but not for people who want to take it for weight loss.
“You’re looking at a health equity issue here when you’re talking about these weight loss drugs that very often we see in communities who, you know, are financially challenged,” said Dr. Carla Robinson.
Patients aren’t just shopping for a lower price; low availability is also driving medical tourism for Ozempic, The drug first appeared on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s drug shortage list in August.
“Nine percent of the 30,000 prescriptions for semaglutide, the drug sold as Ozempic, filled across the province each month of 2022 were for U.S. citizens. That’s 22 times higher than the percentage of prescriptions filled for U.S. citizens for all drugs,“ said British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix.
If approved for weight loss, both Ozempic and Wegovy would require a prescription. Current prices for the medications are also similar, with list prices of around $1,000 per month without insurance. The FDA can also set guidelines on who is eligible for the drug, only approving it, for example, for patients over a certain BMI.
Patients in the private insurance market may be able to get the medicine at a lower cost, but that coverage is murkier with insurance like Medicaid or TRICARE, public health physician Dr. Chris Pernell said.
As its popularity grows, supply is dwindling.
Ozempic is currently on the FDA’s list of medications in short supply. The sudden popularity of the drug for weight loss, driven in part by social media, has made it difficult for some diabetes patients to access the drug.
Why are people going to Mexico for Ozempic? What’s medical tourism?
The practice of medical tourism isn’t new in the U.S. as people regularly travel in search of more affordable health care and prescriptions. With the demand for Ozempic high in the U.S., availability is low, and costs are high.
Medical tourism is becoming more popular in the U.S. as inflation persists and many people find it difficult to receive affordable health care.
It saves people money, and some companies are even suggesting it to manage costs for both the company and the employee. Employees travel for both procedures and prescriptions that are covered by the employer.
One woman went down to Mexico to get Ozempic after it was prescribed to her, saying she was able to purchase it at a Costco in Cabo San Lucas.
“I didn’t have any problems going through customs or security or TSA,” said Gina Kingswood on her YouTube channel.
A TikTok user posted about her experience purchasing Ozempic in Mexico as well, saying, “I get this question a lot about the box of Ozempic I got from Mexico. I got the starter box and that box cost me $285.”
But four Americans were abducted in March — leading to the deaths of two — during a trip to Mexico that one relative said was for cosmetic surgery. People leave the U.S. for dental procedures, plastic surgery, cancer treatments and prescription drugs, The Associated Press reported. Besides Mexico, other common destinations include Canada, India and Thailand.
Care in countries like Mexico can be more than 50% cheaper than it is in the United States, according to Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of the nonprofit Medical Tourism Association, an industry trade group.
Patients also sometimes travel because they can get quicker access to some care outside the U.S. They also may want to seek treatment from a doctor who speaks their language or comes from the same culture.
Researcher Arturo Bustamante estimates roughly 400,000 people traveled from the U.S. to Mexico each year for care before COVID-19 hit. The University of California, Los Angeles health policy professor said the number dropped under pandemic stay-at-home orders but then quickly rebounded.
The medical tourism industry had surpassed a value of $70 billion before the onset of the pandemic, with millions of patients allocating funds for expenses related to medical procedures, cross-border and local transportation, inpatient stays and accommodations, according to CNBC.
Weighing the risks of Ozempic
Patients can take steps to lessen risks of receiving care in another country.
They should heed U.S. government travel alerts about their intended destinations, Edelheit said.
Trip safety also can be enhanced if a medical tourism agent works with the patient, Gan noted. Hospitals or care providers often will have someone pick patients up at the airport and take them to their doctor appointment or hotel.
Patients also should do research on care quality before looking at prices, Edelheit said. They should learn where their potential doctor received training and look for any accreditations or certifications.
“They really need to make sure they are going with the best of the best,” he said.
The risk for patients may not end after the procedure. If someone has complications after returning home, it may be hard for their U.S. doctor to learn the details about the care received during a trip. Patients also may find it difficult to sue their doctor or hospital in Mexico.
“Navigating the system is usually complicated,” he said.
The State Department has issued travel advisories for 30 of Mexico’s 32 states.
What are medical experts saying?
While the popularity of Ozempic remains high, it comes with serious potential side effects like thyroid rumors and cancer. Patients also report common side effects like nausea and abdominal pain.
“Ozempic face” is another reported side effect. Doctors say patients’ faces are sometimes left looking hollowed out and rapidly aged due to the dramatic weight loss.
“When it comes to facial aging, fat is typically more friend than foe,” plastic surgeon Dr. Oren Tepper told the New York Times. “Weight loss may turn back your biological age, but it tends to turn your facial clock forward.”
Conversations about weight loss often focus on lifestyle modifications like eating healthier or exercising more but don’t take into account whether a person has access to affordable healthy foods or if genetics could be impacting how a person stores fat, Pernell said.
Used properly, some experts say it could even help mitigate the United States’ obesity epidemic, which impacts about one in three adults, according to the National Institute of Health.
The FDA updated Ozempic’s label amid concerns it may block intestines in some patients.
The FDA revealed it updated the label after a few issues emerged as the drug has increased in popularity. The label warns of a gastrointestinal disorder called ileus, which is a lack of movement in the intestines that can lead to pain, nausea and other symptoms, according to Medical News Today.
Dr. Michael Feiz, a bariatric surgeon, believes overprescribing may be contributing to some of the severe health problems associated with the weight loss drugs.
“It’s important to understand that the medications do a lot of good. These medications aren’t bad. If they’re used improperly, if they’re used irresponsibly, they can be harmful,” Feiz said Wednesday on “CUOMO.” “As we release these medications, we need to become more responsible in the way that they’re used.”
Take the case of Trish Webster, a 56-year-old in Australia who had been using weight loss drugs to slim down for her wedding, “60 Minutes Australia” reported. She had been taking Ozempic and another weight loss drug, Saxenda, for about five months, was constantly ill and died in January. Her cause of death was acute gastrointestinal illness, but her husband believes the drugs contributed to her death.
Some doctors are reporting some Ozempic users are finding the drug is lowering their alcohol cravings along with suppressing appetite, signaling a possible link between the weight loss drug and curbing addiction.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Kaplan says there isn’t a comprehensive study on the link yet, but anecdotal evidence suggests Ozempic could curb a range of addictive behaviors.
NewsNation’s Alix Martichoux, Stephanie Whiteside, Aleksandra Bush, Katie Smith, Tyler Wornell, Xavier Walton, Brooke Shafer and the Associated Press contributed to this report.