The FDA explains on its website that when a drug is in shortage, compounding pharmacies may be able to prepare a compounded version if they meet certain Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requirements. As of May 2023, Ozempic and Wegovy are both listed on the FDA’s Drug Shortages list, and as a result, Houston-based Empower Pharmacy began offering compounded GLP ones.
So what does this mean and what do you need to know?
The FDA realizes that drugs come on and off backorder all the time, and so they’ve allowed compounding pharmacies and outsourcing facilities to be able to manufacture these drugs during a time of shortage to increase the supply within our country, where there is no other legal avenue for patients to get access to the medications.
Gwen Iyer, Pharmacist-in-Charge at Empower Pharmacy, remembers a time before there was a rush on the group of drugs like Semaglutide, known as GLP-1′s.
“Liraglutide, when it came out when I was in school...it was only for diabetes. And then they started realizing, you know, patients were losing weight...Then fast forward to, you know, 2020 and we are really seeing this whole, you know, Ozempic take off. And, you know, Ozempic at the time was only indicated for type two diabetes,” she said.
The discovery that medications like Ozempic can aid weight loss fueled demand which strained supply. Providing patients with access to a drug that is in shortage is something Empower Pharmacy has been able to do in its production of GLP-1′s.
“We are regulated by each individual state board of pharmacy that we are shipping medications to, and we are also regulated by the FDA and DEA to ensure that we are abiding by all the safety standards and are being compliant with the rules and regulations,” said Empower CEO & Founder Shaun Noorian.
Access to quality medications is something that drives Noorian, who, after a serious accident while working in an oil field, learned he was lacking testosterone and would need to take supplements for the rest of his life.
“We don’t have to deal with the complicated supply chain that the traditional pharmaceutical system has to deal with, with compounding pharmacies we are the entire supply chain. There are thousands of compounding pharmacies out there, and we all have to compete with each other to be able to get access to the patient at an affordable cost and we see that we can charge a lot less than other compounding pharmacies or even other types of entities would be charging for their medication,” explained Noorian.
Noorian said he believes that serving others is the greatest thing anyone can do.
“I am just very lucky to have found an avenue where I can serve patients on a global scale where I can not just help my local community here in Houston, but help all communities across this country and the world get access to quality, affordable medication that lets them live healthier and happier lives.”
Watch the full interview in the video above.
Learn more about accessing affordable medications including GLP-1′s at EmpowerPharmacy.com