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> Ozempic is proving to be a powerful growth engine. Its worldwide sales have increased by over 60% in the past year alone. For what I know its sales are only

> Ozempic is proving to be a powerful growth engine. Its worldwide sales have increased by over 60% in the past year alone. For what I know its sales are only limited by how much they can produce. Figuratively everybody everywhere wants Ozempic but the supply is limited and the prices are too high (could be even higher though - people would still buy).

Scoundreller 2y ago
Probably going with the profit maximizing price. Which in a free market would still drop in price as supply increases to maximize profit.
- johanvts 2y ago
  With competitors it would drop to margin cost, but without competitors I guess it becomes a function of the income distribution? Assuming cost pr. unit is fixed, it’s better to sell 1 unit for 100$ than 2 units for 50$.
TaylorAlexander 2y ago
Notably I started Adderall this year and so far I’ve lost 20 pounds. I’m surprised everyone is so excited about Ozempic when other drugs can give similar results. I don’t even take a huge dose, just 10mg XR, but it seems to keep my appetite in check.
- KeyBoardG 2y ago
  Well its an amphetamine, so there's that.
- llamaimperative 2y ago
  Are you actually surprised or is this just a turn of phrase? Because there are very good, fairly obvious reasons to prefer Ozempic over an amphetamine for weight loss.
  - touisteur 2y ago
    Isn't it part of the plot of Requiem for a Dream ?
    - qwerty456127 2y ago
      Which obviously is dramatically exaggerated because it literally is a drama and a masterpiece of propaganda. Although I don't recommend trying it at home without supervision of a competent doctor and believe there are numerous people to whom it did more harm than good, I still am sure there are many people sustainably taking amphetamines (some even black market) for no harm at all and for great good managing their ADHD and appetite successfully.
      - touisteur 2y ago
        Yes of course. Although my two DTs and tapering off the bottle gave me a new appreciation to this movie. Reality can be far worse than Aronofsky's worst.
    - swader999 2y ago
      Flowers for Algernon.
    - FooBarBizBazz 2y ago
      Beat me to it. That movie hits like a ton of bricks.
  - TaylorAlexander 2y ago
    Well in my case, it turns out the benefits of adderall are extremely helpful. I can’t imagine I’m the only one who at 39 years old still had never tried adderall and also struggled with weight loss, who finds the combination of effects beneficial. Meanwhile when I consider ozempic myself instead, I’d get the weight loss but not the focus benefit I’ve sorely needed. I am really not the type to seek a “weight loss drug” so I don’t know the state of mind of those who do (big fan of the Maintenance Phase podcast!), it just seems to me if people want focus and weight loss at the same time they might want to consider it. I see some “it’s an amphetamine” like that means it’s obviously bad. But I guess we all know that “glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists” are totally fine, sure. I think I would posit that amphetamines are more well understood, but I’m no expert. Certainly I could have realized it would lead to weight loss, I just never really thought of it that way. I can’t be the only one, and I am simply surprised it’s not a part of the broader conversation.
- deleted 2y ago
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- renewiltord 2y ago
  Yeah, that's normal. Phentermine was a commonly prescribed weight-loss amphetamine before the GLP-1 boys showed up. You will also get these effects with caffeine and cocaine.
  - Analemma_ 2y ago
    I was on phentermine for weight loss before switching to semaglutide. I found the former would suppress my appetite well for several months, and then the effect vanished as tolerance built. If the parent commenter is finding that amphetamines work indefinitely for appetite suppression, great, but they often do not.
    - mrguyorama 2y ago
      For ADHD people, some of the weight loss from Adderal comes from reduced ADHD symptoms, like reduced dopamine seeking, so you stop mindlessly eating whole bags of chips, and reduced self medication with other drugs like weed and alcohol
      - qwerty456127 2y ago
        Great point.
- gwbas1c 2y ago
  Adderall is just a reformulated weight loss drug: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall#History > The pharmaceutical company Rexar reformulated their popular weight loss drug Obetrol following its mandatory withdrawal from the market in 1973 > In 1994, Richwood Pharmaceuticals acquired Rexar and began promoting Obetrol as a treatment for ADHD It's worth reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obetrol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obetrol to understand why it isn't promoted for weight loss. In general, amphetamines are easily abused and can lead to long term health problems.
- astrange 2y ago
  It doesn't work that way for most people afaik, but also Ozempic isn't a controlled substance or illegal for tourists to bring into other countries like Adderall.
simlevesque 2y ago
> Figuratively everybody everywhere wants Ozempic I'm in great shape right now, in the middle of my healthy BMI range, would there be any benefit in using it for me ? Not that I would, just curious.
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  Maybe; we don't know yet. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/health/liraglutide-alzheimers-trial/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/health/liraglutide-alzheimers... > A small clinical trial suggests that drugs like Ozempic could potentially be used not just for diabetes and weight loss but to protect the brain, slowing the rate at which people with Alzheimer’s disease lose their ability to think clearly, remember things and perform daily activities. The results need to be borne out in larger trials, which are already underway, before the medicines could receive approval for the disease.
  - MPSimmons 2y ago
    It seems _likely_ to me that the benefit isn't directly from the drugs, but just from caloric restriction, which seems to have a bizarrely wide range of benefits. So, I guess sort of yes? If the person is already restricting their calories, though, probably not, if I'm right (which I may not be!)
- qwerty456127 2y ago
  I once read it can help manage ADHD.
  - SmellTheGlove 2y ago
    n=1, it does nothing for my ADHD.
- zampano 2y ago
  No, I don't think you'd see much benefit if you're already within a healthy BMI range. Generally, drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy are going to make you feel less hungry and, when you do eat, make you feel full faster. If you struggle maintaining a healthy weight without torturing yourself, or reducing cravings for food/binge eating, it can be great. Note: I'm not a doctor, just someone who has been prescribed a similar medication.
cflewis 2y ago
I know someone prescribed for Wegovy/Ozempic for over a year now and has not managed to find any supply at all. I think a big problem is that pharmacists have to be sure they can _continue_ giving it to a new patient.
- SmellTheGlove 2y ago
  The starter doses are hard to find. The larger doses are not. It depends on if your friend is trying to use insurance or not, but if they’re going out of pocket tell them to ask their doctor about prescribing the Ozempic 8mg pen and just using a click chart to dispense smaller doses. The upshot is the pen will last multiple months until you’re past 1mg dosage. I wonder when our big pharma overlords will close this option. If they’re waiting for Wegovy because it’s covered by insurance, unfortunately the pen is fixed dose on those. Also, the supply constraint seems to be the injector pens, not the drug itself. Personally, I think the scarcity is intentional, or we'd be getting this stuff in vials and using regular syringes. Unless I'm misinformed, I don't think there's any bottleneck in the manufacture of semaglutide itself.
  - ytjohn 2y ago
    > Also, the supply constraint seems to be the injector pens, not the drug itself. Personally, I think the scarcity is intentional, or we'd be getting this stuff in vials and using regular syringes. Unless I'm misinformed, I don't think there's any bottleneck in the manufacture of semaglutide itself. Almost certainly the case. I get semaglutide in a monthly vial for $250/month (off insurance). They provide regular syringes & wipes, but also recommend you order some spare in case any of the needles break (they are super thin). I know someone else getting Wegovy on insurance, and it's all pre-drawn injectors. > The starter doses are hard to find. The larger doses are not. My friend's experience was the opposite. When she moved to the higher doses, CVS was often unable to get it in, and she's had to ask her provider put in orders for the lower doses a few times because that was what they could get. I don't know specifically what does she's on though (I swear she said 7.5 once, which is close to the 8 you mention).
    - 2y ago
credit_guy 2y ago
> For what I know its sales are only limited by how much they can produce. You are hinting that if only Novo Nordisk invested more in their production facilities, they could see much larger profits than their already astronomical ones they are seeing today. Except that if Eli Lilly manages to scale up before them, and everyone can buy tirzepatide instead of semaglutide, then Novo Nordisk's customer base could dry up overnight.

Scoundreller 2y ago

Probably going with the profit maximizing price. Which in a free market would still drop in price as supply increases to maximize profit.

johanvts 2y ago
With competitors it would drop to margin cost, but without competitors I guess it becomes a function of the income distribution? Assuming cost pr. unit is fixed, it’s better to sell 1 unit for 100$ than 2 units for 50$.

TaylorAlexander 2y ago

Notably I started Adderall this year and so far I’ve lost 20 pounds. I’m surprised everyone is so excited about Ozempic when other drugs can give similar results. I don’t even take a huge dose, just 10mg XR, but it seems to keep my appetite in check.

KeyBoardG 2y ago
Well its an amphetamine, so there's that.
llamaimperative 2y ago
Are you actually surprised or is this just a turn of phrase? Because there are very good, fairly obvious reasons to prefer Ozempic over an amphetamine for weight loss.
- touisteur 2y ago
  Isn't it part of the plot of Requiem for a Dream ?
  - qwerty456127 2y ago
    Which obviously is dramatically exaggerated because it literally is a drama and a masterpiece of propaganda. Although I don't recommend trying it at home without supervision of a competent doctor and believe there are numerous people to whom it did more harm than good, I still am sure there are many people sustainably taking amphetamines (some even black market) for no harm at all and for great good managing their ADHD and appetite successfully.
    - touisteur 2y ago
      Yes of course. Although my two DTs and tapering off the bottle gave me a new appreciation to this movie. Reality can be far worse than Aronofsky's worst.
  - swader999 2y ago
    Flowers for Algernon.
  - FooBarBizBazz 2y ago
    Beat me to it. That movie hits like a ton of bricks.
- TaylorAlexander 2y ago
  Well in my case, it turns out the benefits of adderall are extremely helpful. I can’t imagine I’m the only one who at 39 years old still had never tried adderall and also struggled with weight loss, who finds the combination of effects beneficial. Meanwhile when I consider ozempic myself instead, I’d get the weight loss but not the focus benefit I’ve sorely needed. I am really not the type to seek a “weight loss drug” so I don’t know the state of mind of those who do (big fan of the Maintenance Phase podcast!), it just seems to me if people want focus and weight loss at the same time they might want to consider it. I see some “it’s an amphetamine” like that means it’s obviously bad. But I guess we all know that “glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists” are totally fine, sure. I think I would posit that amphetamines are more well understood, but I’m no expert. Certainly I could have realized it would lead to weight loss, I just never really thought of it that way. I can’t be the only one, and I am simply surprised it’s not a part of the broader conversation.
deleted 2y ago
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deleted 2y ago
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renewiltord 2y ago
Yeah, that's normal. Phentermine was a commonly prescribed weight-loss amphetamine before the GLP-1 boys showed up. You will also get these effects with caffeine and cocaine.
- Analemma_ 2y ago
  I was on phentermine for weight loss before switching to semaglutide. I found the former would suppress my appetite well for several months, and then the effect vanished as tolerance built. If the parent commenter is finding that amphetamines work indefinitely for appetite suppression, great, but they often do not.
  - mrguyorama 2y ago
    For ADHD people, some of the weight loss from Adderal comes from reduced ADHD symptoms, like reduced dopamine seeking, so you stop mindlessly eating whole bags of chips, and reduced self medication with other drugs like weed and alcohol
    - qwerty456127 2y ago
      Great point.
gwbas1c 2y ago
Adderall is just a reformulated weight loss drug: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall#History > The pharmaceutical company Rexar reformulated their popular weight loss drug Obetrol following its mandatory withdrawal from the market in 1973 > In 1994, Richwood Pharmaceuticals acquired Rexar and began promoting Obetrol as a treatment for ADHD It's worth reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obetrol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obetrol to understand why it isn't promoted for weight loss. In general, amphetamines are easily abused and can lead to long term health problems.
astrange 2y ago
It doesn't work that way for most people afaik, but also Ozempic isn't a controlled substance or illegal for tourists to bring into other countries like Adderall.

simlevesque 2y ago

> Figuratively everybody everywhere wants Ozempic I'm in great shape right now, in the middle of my healthy BMI range, would there be any benefit in using it for me ? Not that I would, just curious.

ceejayoz 2y ago
Maybe; we don't know yet. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/health/liraglutide-alzheimers-trial/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/health/liraglutide-alzheimers... > A small clinical trial suggests that drugs like Ozempic could potentially be used not just for diabetes and weight loss but to protect the brain, slowing the rate at which people with Alzheimer’s disease lose their ability to think clearly, remember things and perform daily activities. The results need to be borne out in larger trials, which are already underway, before the medicines could receive approval for the disease.
- MPSimmons 2y ago
  It seems _likely_ to me that the benefit isn't directly from the drugs, but just from caloric restriction, which seems to have a bizarrely wide range of benefits. So, I guess sort of yes? If the person is already restricting their calories, though, probably not, if I'm right (which I may not be!)
qwerty456127 2y ago
I once read it can help manage ADHD.
- SmellTheGlove 2y ago
  n=1, it does nothing for my ADHD.
zampano 2y ago
No, I don't think you'd see much benefit if you're already within a healthy BMI range. Generally, drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy are going to make you feel less hungry and, when you do eat, make you feel full faster. If you struggle maintaining a healthy weight without torturing yourself, or reducing cravings for food/binge eating, it can be great. Note: I'm not a doctor, just someone who has been prescribed a similar medication.

cflewis 2y ago

I know someone prescribed for Wegovy/Ozempic for over a year now and has not managed to find any supply at all. I think a big problem is that pharmacists have to be sure they can _continue_ giving it to a new patient.

SmellTheGlove 2y ago
The starter doses are hard to find. The larger doses are not. It depends on if your friend is trying to use insurance or not, but if they’re going out of pocket tell them to ask their doctor about prescribing the Ozempic 8mg pen and just using a click chart to dispense smaller doses. The upshot is the pen will last multiple months until you’re past 1mg dosage. I wonder when our big pharma overlords will close this option. If they’re waiting for Wegovy because it’s covered by insurance, unfortunately the pen is fixed dose on those. Also, the supply constraint seems to be the injector pens, not the drug itself. Personally, I think the scarcity is intentional, or we'd be getting this stuff in vials and using regular syringes. Unless I'm misinformed, I don't think there's any bottleneck in the manufacture of semaglutide itself.
- ytjohn 2y ago
  > Also, the supply constraint seems to be the injector pens, not the drug itself. Personally, I think the scarcity is intentional, or we'd be getting this stuff in vials and using regular syringes. Unless I'm misinformed, I don't think there's any bottleneck in the manufacture of semaglutide itself. Almost certainly the case. I get semaglutide in a monthly vial for $250/month (off insurance). They provide regular syringes & wipes, but also recommend you order some spare in case any of the needles break (they are super thin). I know someone else getting Wegovy on insurance, and it's all pre-drawn injectors. > The starter doses are hard to find. The larger doses are not. My friend's experience was the opposite. When she moved to the higher doses, CVS was often unable to get it in, and she's had to ask her provider put in orders for the lower doses a few times because that was what they could get. I don't know specifically what does she's on though (I swear she said 7.5 once, which is close to the 8 you mention).
  - 2y ago

credit_guy 2y ago

> For what I know its sales are only limited by how much they can produce. You are hinting that if only Novo Nordisk invested more in their production facilities, they could see much larger profits than their already astronomical ones they are seeing today. Except that if Eli Lilly manages to scale up before them, and everyone can buy tirzepatide instead of semaglutide, then Novo Nordisk's customer base could dry up overnight.