Drug shortage is over

The FDA announced that shortages of Eli Lilly's diabetes and weight-loss drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, have been resolved after nearly two years. Eli Lilly made a similar announcement a few months ago, but it took some time for the regulator to agree. The drug maker has assured the watchdogs that production can now meet current and future US demand.

In times of shortage, the US allows competitors to sell non-branded versions of treatments containing the active ingredient, which they call compound drugs. With the shortage officially over, the FDA warned that pharmacies can no longer compound copies of the drugs.

Novo Nordisk, whose similar GLP-1 drugs include Ozempic and Wegovy, is still on the FDA shortage list. This means that many compound drugs are still available. Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been ramping up production to meet soaring demand, with Lilly committing $5 billion to boost manufacturing. Despite the resolution, local supply delays may still occur as the medicines are distributed to pharmacies.