What is Ozempic and why does it get so much attention?

Just as some people are prescribed medications to treat high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol indefinitely, some obese patients may be prescribed drugs like Wegovy for an extended period of time, Dr. Craftson said.Those who stop taking the drug may regain the weight lost while taking Wegovy, he added.

"These drugs were not designed for normal-weight people who want to become super skinny," Dr. Hwang said.

After the F.D.A. approved Ozempic for people with type 2 diabetes, the agency approved Wegovy for obese or overweight adults with at least one "weight-related condition," which the agency includes problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. The F.D.A. defines obesity and overweight using the Body Mass Index, an entrenched but widely discussed metric.

Without insurance, the drug is expensive - the list price for Wegovy is over $1,300 for a 28-day supply, and Ozempic can cost about $892 for a month's supply without insurance - and people who don't meet the F.D.A. criteria will likely have trouble getting insurance to cover the drug.

Despite these obstacles, the growing number of people using Ozempic off-label could exacerbate the drug's shortage, Dr. Narang said, noting that diabetic and obese patients have difficulty getting it.

"It was really, really awful - patients don't know where to turn," she said. "We were like hamsters in a wheel trying to figure it out."

"While we recognize that some healthcare providers may prescribe Ozempic to patients whose goal is weight loss, the choice of the best treatment approach for their patients is left up to each healthcare provider," a Novo Nordisk spokesperson wrote in a statement, adding that the company does not "promote, suggest or encourage off-label use of our drugs."

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