For some time now, not a week has gone by without the media mentioning the current shortage of Ozempic, the drug developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but widely used for weight loss.
Patients come to pharmacies panicked at the idea of not being able to obtain a treatment that they tolerate well and that they are used to. The teams – pharmacists and technical assistants – do everything they can to support these patients as best as possible. They sometimes change the dosage of the medication or replace it with another, but they leave no one without an option.
The current situation is still ironic. Two years ago, few people knew what Ozempic was. Apart from diabetic patients who were used to this treatment, the majority of the population had, so to speak, never heard of this product.
That was before the manufacturer deployed considerable resources to make it known. Advertisements during the Beijing Olympics, hockey matches, most watched broadcasts. Placing logos in all arenas, baseball stadiums, football stadiums… “Talk to your doctor”, we are told.
These advertisements never directly mention type 2 diabetes or weight loss, because Health Canada prohibits the name and indication of a prescription drug from being specified in the promotion made to the population. But the industry has found other ways to achieve its ends: the use of influencers, who extol the virtues of their products.
At the Order of Pharmacists of Quebec, we feel unease about all of this. The pharmaceutical industry has understood that in 2023, with access to the Internet, the mere fact of mentioning the name of a drug contributes to increasing pressure on prescribers.
But does the population have the right to know? you say. To this question, the answer is yes. But with marketing, we don’t sell reality, we sell dreams. And people come into doctor’s offices with this dream in mind.
Usually, a treatment team follows their patient and chooses a medication based on their condition, their age, the severity of their health problem, in short, they ensure that their treatment is adapted to their needs. The relationship of trust between caregiver and patient is based on this principle.
However, when advertising interferes in this relationship, it can degrade it. Sometimes the patient does not understand why someone refuses to prescribe him this medication which he has heard is “miraculous” and can solve his problem effortlessly. The reality is that these products are often not the first choice of prescribers: it is not uncommon for there to be products that are just as effective, but less expensive. These advertisements put pressure on costs and on health networks, both private and public. In addition, as we are currently seeing, they can cause shortages, putting in difficulty the patients who need these drugs the most.
We have no illusions: the regulations surrounding prescription drug advertising will not change tomorrow morning. We therefore call on companies to demonstrate ethical awareness. If you create expectations with patients, make sure you are able to meet them afterwards. And the least you can do at this time is to stop promoting a drug that you don’t have the capacity to deliver.