Eli Lilly's weight loss drugs removed from the FDA's shortage list

The US FDA have recently updated their drug shortage list. The recently released list shows that all dosage forms of Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound and their diabetes drug Mounjaro are now available.

Mounjaro has been on the FDA's shortage list since the latter part of 2022, and Zepbound was added in April of 2024. 

The FDA works with drug companies and independent bodies to monitor the supply chain and availability of medicines, and is this instance is working closely with Eli Lilly to ensure a stable supply in all doses that can keep up with demand. The FDA clarified that additional criteria, such as fulfilling backorders and meeting demand, among others are considered before a drug is removed from the shortages list, even if all doses are currently available.

"All doses of Mounjaro and Zepbound are listed as available on the FDA's website which is consistent with our previous statements that supply would steadily improve toward the latter half of 2024," a spokesperson for Eli Lilly commented in a press statement.

The surge in demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound since their initial approvals has led Lilly to invest billions in increasing their production capacity. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which produces competing drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, is also working tirelessly to boost supply.

Initially developed for diabetes, GLP-1 therapies have demonstrated up to 20% weight reduction in clinical trials. Analysts predict that the market for these therapies could reach $150 billion in revenue by the early 2030s. 

Several doses of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, both semaglutides, have been on the FDA's shortage list since early 2022. Currently, all doses of Ozempic, for treatment of diabetes, are available in the USA. For Wegovy, three dosage forms continue to be in limited supply.

Source: Reuters. US FDA says all doses of Lilly's weight-loss and diabetes drug are now available. [Date accessed 05/08/2024] www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-says-all-doses-lillys-weight-loss-diabetes-drug-now-available-2024-08-02/

For more content on weight loss drugs on the market, see here.