Many testify that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of the diabetes medication Ozempic in Sweden. This at the same time as global sales have increased by over 60 percent.
We have met Per-Erik, one of over 400,000 Swedes with type two diabetes. He had to travel 18 miles to get the medicine.
– You have to have something that compensates for this disease. Either insulin, what the body cannot produce itself, you kind of top it up with insulin, or like in this case Ozempic that I have, which works great, which regulates the body’s own insulin production, which kind of kicks it into motion, says Per-Erik Åström .
Used as a slimming medicine
Ozempic is not only effective against diabetes but also against obesity. And just over six months ago, videos of celebrities and influencers in the US using Ozempic began to spread.
– From the time Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that he had started to lose weight on this, it only said slurp on the market, it was just gone, was not available in any pharmacy in all of Sweden, says Per-Erik Åström.
To catch up with the troublesome demand, the company Novo Nordisk has increased production. Compared to the first quarter of last year, sales have increased globally by 63 percent and profit. It is the United States in particular that is responsible for the increase. But deliveries of the drug to Sweden have, on the contrary, decreased. By 15 percent at the same time.
– Whoever pays the most gets the most, seems to be the principle. The big problem is really that no one takes responsibility for it to exist, Per-Erik thinks.
Refuses to be interviewed
We want the company Novo Nordisk to explain why it is deprioritizing Sweden. And the management first agrees to an interview with us. But when they find out about our questions, they change their mind and say no. Instead, they write in an email that they prioritize securing Ozempic for those patients with type 2 diabetes who are already on treatment.
– I have not noticed any prioritization in my case. I have this prescribed by prescription, with high cost coverage and all. But here in Stockholm, where I live, it is listed everywhere. It is not found anywhere.
Per-Åke finally had to resort to drastic measures to resolve the situation.
– A week ago, I found that it was available in Gävle, so it was just a matter of getting in the car and going up there as quickly as possible and buying as much as I could. So now I have so that I can make it through the summer, but at the end of August I don’t know.