Ida Ismail
A drug designed to save the lives of diabetes patients is now being used massively for a completely different purpose: Drastic weight loss. Ozempic, approved exclusively for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, has become one of the most controversial aesthetics trends.
Promoted by Hollywood stars and distributed virally on social networks, this medication is being purchased massively in Albania, without a medical prescription and through online platforms.
While pharmacists and doctors acknowledge that demand has increased due to obesity, patients who desperately need it are facing shortages in the market. In Albania, the price of Ozempic ranges from 8.500 to 18.000 lekë for a monthly dose, while in Kosovo prices fluctuate from 120 to 250 euros. Ozempic is taken once a week and starts with a dose of 0.25 mg and can last up to 1 year, often without any medical supervision.
Ozempic is a drug manufactured by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. This drug was approved by the FDA in December 2017 and launched on the market in 2018, exclusively for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Its active substance, semaglutide, mimics the hormone GLP-1, which regulates appetite.
Taking the drug Ozempic increases feelings of fullness, slows digestion (stomach emptying), and regulates insulin, helping the pancreas produce insulin when sugar levels are high.
Dr. Blertina Dyrmishi, an endocrinologist, explains that Ozempic is not officially approved for the treatment of obesity. “Unfortunately, in our country it was and is being taken without a doctor’s advice. Doctors do not use Ozempic in obese patients without diabetes,” says Dr. Dyrmishi.
Dangers: From dehydration to comas
Using this drug without medical supervision can have serious consequences. According to doctors, the effects start with eating and sleeping disorders, allergic reactions, but can escalate to vision problems, kidney problems, gall bladder problems, etc.
Dr. Aurora Dollenberg, president of the Federation of Albanian Doctors in Europe, warns of the greatest risk encountered in people without diabetes: "The most dangerous effect is related to hypoglycemia, a decrease in blood sugar levels below the permitted norms. If this happens to the patient, he can lose consciousness and go into a coma. If the condition lasts for 30 minutes and no help is given, then this can be fatal for the patient because the brain is not normally supplied with sugar."
As for long-term effects, animal studies have shown a possible link to thyroid tumors.
Ozempic and social media
The role of Hollywood stars has been a catalyst for the use of Ozempic in weight loss. Kim Kardashian became the symbol of this trend, after her appearance at the 2022 Met Gala, where she appeared noticeably thinner. Although she did not publicly admit to using Ozempic, the furor on social media was extraordinary.
Celebrities like Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, Robbie Williams have shared their weight loss stories using the drug Ozempic. From Hollywood stars, the trend has spread to ordinary people, who share “before and after” photos on social media, presenting the drug as a “magic solution.” The hashtag #Ozempic has reached over 274 million views on TikTok.
"Patients consider it a miracle drug," says New York City dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank.
However, what is not shown is that most of the weight is regained once the treatment is stopped. A study published in The BMJ, which included 9.341 patients from 37 studies, found that patients regained an average of 0.8 kg per month after stopping the drug Ozempic. The study notes that within 1 and a half years, citizens who used it returned to their previous weight.
"In the end, almost everyone ends up at the same weight they were at before treatment," said lead researcher, Dimitrios Koutoukidis, University of Oxford.
The uncontrolled market in Albania
In Albania, sales regulations are often ignored. Ozempic is easily purchased without a prescription. Pharmacists admit that the drug is being massively sought after for weight loss. “Citizens have turned the use of Ozempic for weight loss into a trend, which for me is wrong, while clinics have turned it into a business,” says a pharmacist.
Another alarm is the addiction that taking the drug creates. "A girl lost 14 kg in 3 months, by taking Ozempic at home, without medical supervision. She continues to take the drug, as she sees it as the only way to lose weight. The problem is that the consequences appear after 1 year," says another pharmacist.
It is worrying that if a patient with diabetes wants to buy Ozempic, they will not find it in all pharmacies. Meanwhile, another part of the pharmacies advertise it online, even making deliveries throughout Albania, without requiring a medical prescription. We contacted one of them, on the social network Instagram, which reconfirmed that Ozempic is available in all its branches and the order through the online platform, in any city is delivered within 48 hours.
Hidden fact: Novo Disk, the Danish company that produced it, has not spared those who have control over how much and how a drug will be used: Doctors. Novo Disk has spent over $11 million in the US alone on marketing to doctors (travel and food).
Over 12 doctors were invited to seminars during which they were explained how the entire class of GLP-1 agonist molecules works, of which Ozempic is currently the most successful. Ozempic, Saxenda, Wegovy are the medications that are currently being used by well-known people around the world for weight loss and are advertised as the magic medicine that removes excess pounds. However, the latest studies published in prestigious journals are increasingly talking about side effects on health.
Ozempic is a great achievement for medicine, but not a "magic wand" for aesthetics. Its indiscriminate use not only endangers the health of the user, but deprives chronically ill people of a vital medicine./acqj.al
