The FDA Puts a Halt to Compounded Versions of Weight Loss Drugs

Perhaps you have been seeking an effective way to lose weight, but you can’t afford prescription Wegovy or Zepbound. If you are like many Americans, the logical alternative was to begin using compounded versions of these drugs that can be purchased at a fraction of the cost. However, on Monday March 10 the FDA made a decision to restrict compounding pharmacies from legally producing and selling popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Wegovy/Ozempic (Semaglutide) and Zepbound/Mounjaro (Tirzepatide). Pharmacies have until March 19 to stop producing Zepbound and until May 22 to stop producing Wegovy.

Why Did the FDA Stop Allowing Pharmacies to Compound Wegovy and Zepbound?

These compounded medication drugs are still under pharmaceutical patent by Novo Nordisk (Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (Zepbound). Previously, compounding pharmacies had argued that they had a right to make compounded versions of these drugs due to shortages of the actual drug in 2022. However, these shortages have been resolved.

Compounded Wegovy and Zepbound had become increasingly popular over the past two years because they offered a more cost-effective alternative to the actual patented medications. They were often sold for as little as 20% of the price of the original drugs. However, the drugs produced by these compounding pharmacies were not strictly regulated, which led to serious and increasing concerns about dosing accuracy, actual medication content, and safety. A series of related deaths and serious adverse outcomes have been reported nationally, calling the safety and efficacy of these compounded medications into question.

What Will Happen If I Stop Taking Wegovy or Zepbound?

These drugs do offer modest weight loss efficacy for many patients; patients on average lose 12.5%-20% of their total body weight, though this is an average and doesn’t hold for all patients. However, these medications are only effective for as long as they are being taken. Once a person stops taking these medications, their appetite and metabolism return to normal, and it’s common for patients to completely regain whatever weight they had lost while on these medications.

What Are My Alternative Treatment Options?

Option #1: Prescription Wegovy or Zepbound

Your first option would be to work with a medical weight loss provider to get Wegovy or Zepbound prescribed.

Pros:

• You would be continuing the same drug (perhaps in a higher quality, more effective, and lower risk version)

Cons:

• Because around 97% of insurances nationally don’t cover these medications as formulary options for weight loss, these medications can be cost prohibitive for many patients.

Option #2: Other Prescription Weight Loss Medications

A second option would be to ask your medical weight loss drug provider for an alternative that may be cheaper than Zepbound or Wegovy, or that is included in your weight loss formulary.

Pros:

• These earlier-generation medications can be much cheaper than Zepbound or Wegovy, even if you have to pay out of pocket.

Cons:

• These drugs tend to be far less effective than newer weight loss medications such as Zepbound and Wegovy. Most patients lose less than 10% of their total body weight.
• These drugs rarely work long-term. Your body has a tendency to get used to them, which means that most patients see weight loss for the first 3-6 months followed by a gradual return to their baseline weight.

Option #3: Permanent Lifestyle Modification

A third option would be to look at permanent lifestyle medication options. Dietary changes and a consistent exercise regime can help many patients to lose some weight and also feel better in their bodies. At the BMCC, we recommend a plant-based whole foods diet as the gold standard when it comes to dietary changes.

Pros:

• Improved overall metabolic health
• Longer lifespan
• Modest weight loss
• Affordable (no expenses besides groceries)

Cons:

• Weight loss is modest (around 8% of total body weight on average)
• Requires a lifelong commitment. Patients who change their dietary and exercise approach for a year may lose substantial weight; but if they then revert back to eating the way they used to and not exercising as diligently, then they’re liable to regain all of that lost weight.

Option #4: Bariatric Surgery

The final option would be to consider bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery can help patients lose 65-100% of their unhealthy weight and can also dramatically improve metabolic health.

Pros:

• Superior weight loss
• Weight loss is sustained in many cases; most of our patients lose weight and keep it off permanently
• Only one treatment for life
• Most insurances do cover bariatric surgery
• Very affordable compared to Wegovy and Zepbound, because you don’t have to keep paying for ongoing medications
• Can resolve many obesity-related conditions such as sleep apnea, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes (our duodenal switch patients see their type 2 diabetes resolved in up to 98% of cases)

Cons:

• Many patients worry that surgery will be dangerous or will bring a high risk of complications. But the truth is that, at a certified ASMBS MBSAQIP center like the BMCC, bariatric surgery is no more risky than any minor outpatient procedure such as gallbladder surgery. Bariatric surgery actually has a very low complication rate when compared to weight loss medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound.

Taking the Next Step On Your Weight Loss Journey

At the BMCC, we care deeply for you and for your health. You deserve to feel amazing in your body and to love the way you look.

If you are suffering from obesity and looking for the most effective and durable weight-loss solutions, we highly recommend that you consider bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery has helped many patients just like you to lose weight, keep it off, and get back to the wonderful life that they deserve. Bariatric surgery can help many patients to lose 65-100% of their excess body weight, which can translate to sustained weight loss of 100-150 pounds or even more. Imagine how that would feel.

Many of our patients say that the decision to undergo bariatric surgery was one of the best decisions they ever made.

“We cannot imagine another Doctor or Practice with whom this process could have been so wonderfully orchestrated…. Dr. Long and his staff are the kindest, most loving, and supportive group of individuals we have ever could have met. Each person has contributed to our success, each and every one.”—Keri and Chris Sexton, gastric sleeve patients.

If you’re suffering, don’t wait. Reach out to our friendly office staff today.