The diabetes medication Ozempic is currently scarcely available in Germany. The manufacturer Novo Nordisk expects further supply shortages in the coming weeks, as the company confirmed upon request from Bayerischer Rundfunk. The drug, originally developed for diabetics, has also gained wide recognition in recent years as a weight loss injection, leading to a significantly increased demand.

Ozempic, on the market since 2018, curbs appetite by slowing down the digestive process, causing food to remain in the stomach longer. Given the increasing popularity of the drug as a weight reduction aid, Novo Nordisk introduced a variant specifically for obese patients in 2023, called Wegovy. It works in the same way as Ozempic, but is more expensive. In Germany, Ozempic costs between 80 and 217 euros depending on the dosage, while Wegovy costs between 172 and 302 euros per month.

There are speculations that Novo Nordisk is prioritizing the production of Wegovy and therefore neglecting the manufacture of Ozempic to achieve higher profits. Additionally, the company may prefer markets where higher prices are enforceable. Novo Nordisk did not comment on these assumptions but emphasized that it is investing heavily in expanding production capacities. Despite a roughly 50 percent increase in deliveries in 2023, the high demand in Germany has not yet been met.