If you've been taking Wegovy for a while, you'll remember the initial major shortage that started in late 2021. The initial shortage stemmed from a combination of factors, including manufacturing challenges and an unprecedented surge in demand. While the severity of the initial shortage has lessened, there continue to be issues with Wegovy (and alternatives to Wegovy) supply. People are constantly wondering why, so we figured we'd cover the basics.
Plus, we've got a few tips for finding Wegovy in stock.
For the full guide on how to find Wegovy in stock near you, click here!
There are tons of reasons that Wegovy is difficult to find. We'll try to keep this overview brief but informative.
While Wegovy supply has improved significantly since the initial shortages, intermittent availability challenges still occur. Manufacturing complexities associated with GLP-1 medications and the specialized injection pens required for delivery contribute to ongoing supply chain challenges.
Wegovy is a groundbreaking medication that has quickly been shown to be one of the most effective treatments for obesity. As soon as Wegovy started hitting the shelves, it started flying off them faster than it could be manufactured and restocked. The medication's impressive clinical trial results showing average weight loss of 15-20% created unprecedented demand that initially overwhelmed manufacturing capacity.
When you pick up a medication that is covered by your insurance, your pharmacy sends out a claim to your insurance company, and your insurance company pays the pharmacy a pre-negotiated rate for that medication that is specific to your health plan.
Many medications, including GLP-1s like Wegovy, are what we call Under-Reimbursed - meaning that the price the pharmacy had to pay to purchase the medications is nearly the same amount (or more) than what they are making by dispensing the medication. Pharmacies actually lose money on prescriptions more often than you would think, and even when they do make money, they don't always make much.
At the end of the day, a pharmacy is still a business, and they have to make money to stay alive. So when drugs are under-reimbursed, they are far more hesitant to stock and dispense them.
This creates false scarcity for a lot of medications like Wegovy. It's not always just that a pharmacy can't get a medication, but they often make a business decision not to purchase a medication because they know they will lose money if they offer it to patients.
Many insurance plans have strict prior authorization requirements for Wegovy, and some plans don't cover it at all. This creates additional complexity for pharmacies in stocking the medication, as they need to ensure they can actually fill prescriptions for their patient population.
We know navigating pharmacies is complicated, and we're here to be your guide! Simply put, these are the ongoing reasons Wegovy and Wegovy alternatives are hard to find:
Finding Wegovy (or any other prescription) doesn't have to be so stressful. With tools like Medfinder and a better understanding of how the pharmacy system works, you can cut down the stress and the phone calls, and keep yourself on track with your treatment.
%2C%20Color%3DOriginal.png)
