Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) has extended the restriction on the prescription of the diabetes drug Ozempic until 30 November 2025.
This means that the drug will remain reserved for people with type 2 diabetes or a high BMI, according to a royal decree.
Demand for Ozempic skyrocketed in 2023 because of its success as a weight-loss drug. Restrictions on prescriptions were introduced in Belgium as the drug manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, could not keep up with the demand.
Last week, the American medicines regulator FDA reported that there are no longer any shortages of Ozempic and the weight-loss drug Wegovy in the United States - both produced by Novo Nordisk.
However, according to Vandenbroucke's cabinet, the shortages of Ozempic and similar drugs have not yet been resolved. so everything possible is being done to ensure that diabetes patients receive their medication.
The cabinet had also included the diabetes drug Mounjaro in the royal decree because it feared that it would also face shortages. However, the company has convinced the minister that it has sufficient stock.
Mounjaro will be removed from the royal decree in the coming days. Mounjaro is not currently being reimbursed, but it is possible that it will be for certain conditions in the future.
