Major Australian news outlets such as the ABC reported this week that, on the advice of the TGA, the Australian Federal Government will ban pharmacy-compounded copies of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic® and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro®, which are widely used off label for weight loss, following what Australia’s Minister for Health and Aged Care described as “very significant safety risks”. The ban will take effect from 1 October 2024.
An estimated 20,000 Australians have been using compounded replica weight loss products imitating Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, which are in short supply.
This news follows a raid of Como Compounding Pharmacy in Melbourne where investigators seized ‘off-brand’ Ozempic® (semaglutide) and other allegedly unlawfully made medications, triggering the call for the ban now set to be imposed.