The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has acknowledged multiple ‘high impact’ supply issues with several types of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs).

This week it has issued a ‘high impact’ medicine supply notification for several drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and weight loss, including:

  • Semaglutide (Ozempic) 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg solution for injection in a pre-filled pen;
  • Dulaglutide (Trulicity) 0.75mg, 1.5mg, 3mg and 4.5mg solution for injection in a prefilled pen;
  • and Liraglutide (Victoza) 6mg/ml solution for injection in a pre-filled pen.

But the DHSC said that Rybelsus tablets and tirzepatide pre-filled pens, including the recently approved Mounjaro, are able to support demand from new and existing patients prescribed GLP1-RAs, in a notice shared by CPE yesterday.

Supply of semaglutide (Ozempic) 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg solution for pre-filled pens cannot support new patient initiations, the notice said.

This was because 0.25mg and 1mg solutions will be available ‘intermittently’ throughout 2024, and the 0.5mg solution is due to be out of stock until early June 2024, before there is intermittent supply available until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Rybelsus 3mg, 7mg and 14mg tablets are available and can support increased demand for both new patient initiations and any patients unable to obtain their existing GLP-1 RA therapy, the notice said.

In addition, the DHSC said that supply could not support the initiation of new patients on:

  • Dulaglutide (Trulicity) 0.75mg, 1.5mg, 3mg and 4.5mg solution for pre-filled pens, which will have intermittent supply throughout 2024;
  • Liraglutide (Victoza) 6mg/ml solution for pre-filled pens, which is out of stock until the end of 2024;
  • and Exenatide (Bydureon BCise) 2mg/0.85ml prolonged-release pre-filled pens, which are only available for patients stabilised on this therapy.

Exenatide (Byetta) 5micrograms/0.02ml and 10micrograms/0.04ml pre-filled pens will be discontinued at the end of March 2024, the notice added.

But the recently approved tirzepatide (Mounjaro Kwikpens) 2.5mg/0.6ml and 5mg/0.6ml solution for injection and 2.4ml pre-filled pens (containing 4 doses) are now available and can support both new patient initiations and any patients unable to obtain their existing GLP-1 RA therapy, the notice said.

And it added that higher strengths of tirzepatide (7.5mg/0.6ml, 10mg/0.6ml, 12.5mg/0.6ml and 15mg/0.6ml solution for injection 2.4ml pre-filled pens) will become available in the coming months.