Ozempic Maker spends over $3 million to lobby for fat cats in Washington as weight loss drugs face regulatory decisions
Records show that major drug manufacturers have spent more than $3 million in lobbying, and the government has cut parody versions of weight loss pills.
Novo Nordisk, a manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, has hired several lobbying companies to convince lawmakers to put more difficult boundaries on companies that produce drugs that are not approved by federal drug administration. politics.
Earlier this year, the FDA announced a years-long shortage of Semaglutide (Ozempic), which caused the number of fake and unapproved drugs.
The agency’s website notes that these versions, known as compound drugs, “can be risky for patients, because unapproved versions do not review the safety, effectiveness and quality of the FDA before being sold.”
Based on comments on lobbying records politicsNovo Novers spent $3 million on lobbying in the first quarter of this year. Companions of manufacturer Eli Lilly, made weight loss pills Zepbough and Mounjaro generally spend $3 million on lobbying.
The two companies reportedly hired more than 10 lobbying companies including Avoq, Holland and Knight, as well as Williams and Jensen to help them.
In a statement shared with it independent A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said: “Novo Nordisk has publicly and publicly advocated changes to our healthcare system to benefit patients and as part of these efforts we are involved in advocacy and stakeholder engagement.
“Our business practices fully comply with applicable laws and reflect our strong commitment to ethical business practices.”
Eli Lilly declined to comment.
When the FDA announced the shortage of Wegovy in March 2022 and the August 2022 Wegovy and Ozempic, it is legally allowed manufacturers of compounds (compounds) to use ingredients from FDA-approved manufacturers to make them use.
Since the shortage has been declared, unauthorized versions are prohibited, although the FDA provides the compound with additional time to reduce operation and client-to-replacement methods.
Another complication for these companies and their lobbyists is that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr has previously said against the use of weight loss medications.
In October, Kennedy was asked about a study that showed Ozespike could show promising resolution conditions, including drug abuse, sleep apnea and cognitive decline. The newly appointed health secretary claimed that drugmakers tried to sell the drug to Americans, “because we are so stupid and addicted to drugs.”
