The Oxempic® Pandemic: time to review our ethical obligations. An examination of drug shortages, off-label prescribing and patient needs

One of the most dramatic shortages experienced worldwide has been the supply of anti-diabetic injectable medication Ozempic® (semaglutide). Introduced in 2017, short supply started early 2022, mainly due to a surge in off-label prescribing for weight-loss and the role of social media. Some have likened it to a ‘tsunami’. Documentaries portray desperate efforts made to attain the product. In response to the high demand, some pharmacists have surprisingly attempted to compound the product in-house. This phenomenon has raised several concerns relating to professional ethics in pharmacy and patient safety. In this session we will discuss ethical concerns about the provision of extemporaneous compounding, off-label prescribing and patient safety.

Moderator: - Maria Allinson, Senior Lecturer Sheffield University, UK

Panellists: - Betty Chaar, Associate Professor The University of Sydney, Australia

- Sanya Ram, Senior Lecturer University of Auckland, New Zealand

- Roche, Cicely, Associate Professor in Practice of Pharmacy & Trinity College Dublin Fellow in Education for Sustainable Development School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Panoz Institute, Trinity College Dublin. Centre for Academic Practice, Trinity Teaching and Learning, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

- Jessica Pace, Associate Lecturer Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney, Australia