When they don’t fit the criteria, people who want Ozempic and Wegovy go to med spas and pay hundreds
Demand for the blockbuster weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy has skyrocketed as more people want them to help shed pounds.
However, what happens when people who want to lose weight but don’t fit the drugs’ criteria – a body mass index greater than 30 or diabetes – search for a prescription but get turned down by their healthcare providers?
They turn to med spas and telehealth services, where you can get a prescription for semaglutide shots — the active ingredient in both drugs — without ever seeing a doctor in person.
A med spa is considered a halfway house between a day spa and an aesthetic medical center.
Med spas provide a combination of medical and aesthetic procedures such as hair restoration, Botox, micro-needling and fillers.
Laws regarding med spas vary by state, but some are required to be run by a licensed physician, while others can be run by non-physicians, but the majority of a med spa’s staff is made up of physician assistants, nurse practitioners and aestheticians who offer different procedures.
Dr Jason Fung, the doctor who invented the intermittent fasting diet, told DailyMail.com the ease with which med spas can hand out semaglutide is ‘ripe for abuse’.
‘You could go anywhere you want – any medical spa – and get it,’ he said.
Med spas offer special deals to entice patients to get the weight-loss drugs from their facilities
Telehealth companies will often send the semaglutide in the mail to patients’ homes, whereas med spas usually administer the shots to the patients
Ozempic is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat type 2 diabetes, but it is prescribed off-label for weight loss, while Wegovy, also originally approved for diabetes, has also been approved for weight loss.
Novo Nordisk, which makes both weight-loss shots, has said it does not sell semaglutide to med spas for distribution and has sued several weight loss and wellness clinics across the US for allegedly selling knock-off versions of its medications.
But because semaglutide is currently on the FDA’s drug shortage list, it is able to be compounded by pharmacies associated with med spas.
Compounding is the mixing and combining of ingredients to make a specific drug that a person needs. It is a legal way for patients to get medications that suit their needs if a certain brand is out of stock.
But in May, the FDA warned some pharmacies were using unapproved forms of semaglutide or improperly compounding it.
Telehealth companies, medical services that are conducted remotely, also offer a way for customers to get their hands on the drugs easily and will send the semaglutide in the mail to people’s homes so they can inject themselves with the medication.
Those who don’t want to inject themselves can obtain the course through a med spa where a practitioner will administer the shots for them.
Dr Fung said: ‘A friend of mine went to Texas, and she was seeing her friends, and her friends are trying to lose three pounds and they’re on Ozempic.
‘And she asked, “How did you get Ozempic?” and [her friend said], “Oh, I just went to the medical spa, and they gave it to me.”
‘They didn’t see a doctor, nobody knew what her situation was, nobody assessed her before giving her the medication.’
Dr Fung added: ‘There’s a clinic here in Toronto. Doctors have to see 70 patients a day, and they basically walk in, get the prescription for Ozempic and walk out. That’s all.
‘They built the system; they made a lot of money. Unfortunately, they’re being rewarded with a lot of money because the guy who runs that is now very prominent and has made a lot of money. He’s got a lot of influence. He’s written papers about it.
‘But if you look at what he’s actually doing, he’s just handing the stuff out to everybody without a second plot. It’s ripe for abuse.’
One med spa in New Mexico advertises a course of semaglutide for $350 for the first month and $500 for the following months.
This includes the weekly semaglutide injection and a ‘monthly Lipo-Mino Mix Injection’, a fat-burning shot that promises to break down fat in the liver.
The med spa’s website reads: ‘Drop in weekly during business hours and your weight measurement and injection will take no longer than 15 minutes.’
Another clinic advertises it for $850 and another promotes a buy-two, get-two free sale for $1,800.
Going through a doctor’s office, Ozempic is priced at about $900 for a one-month supply, but insurance providers may cover some or all of the cost.
A TikTok video by a med spa in Utah shows employees miming to a song with the lyrics ‘Call the compound pharmacy, my doc won’t fill the script for me.’
In an American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) blog post about who can perform semaglutide injections, it recommends that the prescriber gathers bloodwork and other information, such as preexisting conditions, about the person wanting to take the drug to ensure they are a suitable candidate.
However, most states allow for this to be done over a video or phone call, meaning health practitioners cannot take patients’ weight or vitals in person, which could lead to some lying to get the medication.
AmSpa noted tests, measurements or observations being done remotely would need to be ‘adequately replicated’ compared to if they were being done in person.
The blog says: ‘For weight loss treatments, the patient may come in with an expressed desire to start semaglutide treatment to lose weight, and that may initially appear like a viable option. But, at this point, this is just a theory or hunch—not enough to base a professional judgment on.
‘However, with a review of their medical history, examination of their current state of health, and search for indications and contraindications, there is a concrete basis to determine the patient’s condition and if this semaglutide treatment may help them. With that, the practitioner can discuss the risks of the treatment with the patient and obtain their informed consent.’
In June 2023, Novo Nordisk filed federal lawsuits against five weight loss and wellness clinics in Texas, Florida, New York and Tennessee for allegedly selling knock-off versions of its medications.
It asked the courts to prevent the spas and clinics from claiming their drugs contain the main ingredients in Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy.
The drugmaker also requested federal judges required the spas and clinics to make it clear their products were not affiliated with Novo Nordisk and were not approved by the FDA.
It sued Champion Health and Wellness Clinics, which operates in Houston; Effinger Health’s Nuvida RX Weight Loss clinic in Tallahassee; Ekzotika’s Cosmetic Laser Professionals Med Spa in Miami; Flawless Image Medical Aesthetics operating in East Syracuse, NY, and Pro Health Investments in Memphis, Tennessee.
Champion Health and Wellness’ website boasts its semaglutide program, which is an ‘in-office or virtually-consulted program that can be undertaken completely from your own home.
‘In two months, you could lose up to 25 pounds. In four months, you could lose up to 50 pounds or more!’ the website says.
It also notes patients can repeat the program as much as they like and there would be ‘no special diets’ and ‘no difficult workouts.’
‘Just inject once a week, and watch your weight drop.’
Despite its weight-loss benefit, Wegovy and Ozempic have a growing list of serious side effects, including depression, suicidal thoughts, nausea and vomiting.
Most recently, a study found people using the drugs for weight loss have a higher chance of pancreatitis, bowel obstructions and stomach paralysis.
As well as losing pleasure in food, people have reported having ‘no desire’ in activities they used to enjoy, such as drinking alcohol and gambling, allowing some to kick long-standing habits.
The long-term effects of the drugs are still under investigation as the drugs are relatively new.
And emerging research shows patients who stop taking the injectables are vulnerable to regaining all lost weight and may be required to stay on the medication for an extended period of time.
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