GLP-1 drugs spiked in popularity and price over the past few years, leaving the door open for illegal pharmacies to try and sell cheaper counterfeit versions.
PHOENIX — As many people begin their New Year resolutions to live happier lives, some are turning to the help of weight loss drugs.
Kelly Buckmaster of Glendale is celebrating the start of 2025 with a major victory on the scale.
“I’ve never been able to lose weight like this in my life. So, 100 pounds is just unbelievable,” Buckmaster said.
She credits most of her success to Wegovy, an FDA-approved medication, prescribed by her doctor.
“My insurance company covers it with zero copay,” Buckmaster said.
Wegovy is a GLP-1 drug. Similar name brands, including Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound have popularized the market for helping patients lose stubborn weight.
“They work in two of three different ways in a body. Number one, they go in our brain and they kind of affect the appetite, the hunger cravings,” Dr. Sonal Haerter, an internal medicine provider at Dignity Health Medical Group, said. “Number two, they also slow down the way your food travels through your GI system. Thereby, people all in all land up eating smaller portions and eat lesser calories. But, they also impact satiety, make people feel fuller.”
However, some insurance companies aren’t willing to cover the cost when only taken for weight loss.
“I’m really frustrated with it because I see the difference,” Susi Unupi of Glendale said. “It is very helpful to have the medication that’s helping to cut down that food hunger.”
Unupi told 12News she lost 67 pounds thanks to Ozempic.
She was forced to stop taking the medication when Medicare ceased her coverage in June 2024, telling her they now only pay for it when prescribed for diabetes or related illnesses.
Unupi said she cannot afford the out-of-pocket cost.
“Just for name brand Ozempic, it’s $1,000 plus, just for one month,” Unupi said.
Dr. Rekha Agarwal, a consultant endocrinologist at Banner Health, said she has patients enduring the same challenge.
“I understand this is a game changer and it’s a miracle drug. It does a lot of good things if it’s done properly, but not everybody can afford it,” Agarwal said.
Some patients even drive to Mexico for cheaper prices, which is strongly against her recommendation.
“They say, ‘Oh, it’s so cheap over there. I just have to pay one-third of the cost.’ But often, we have seen they do not even work,” Agarwal said.
A simple Google search for GLP-1 drugs produces many options to buy the drugs online.
“Just yesterday, I was able to go to a random site that popped up on my social media. I was able to get it approved within 90 seconds with the promise of this medication to be delivered on my doorstep in 24-48 hours,” Agarwal said.
Haerter said studies show nearly half of those websites are proven to be illegal pharmacies, which are operating without a valid license.
“If anyone is getting these medications without a prescription, that’s a big red flag,” Haerter said.
Another option available online is compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide.
They have the same active ingredients as those name-brand drugs, but the FDA does not regulate them, leaving patients at the risk of buying counterfeit medications, drugs that contain the wrong or harmful ingredients, or drugs that contain too little, too much or no active ingredient at all.
Doctors said a common side effect of the compounded GLP-1 drugs is overdosing.
“The dosing error has happened so much on these patients because they’re given a vial. So, now the patient is drawing on his own and self-injecting,” Agarwal said. “Sometimes, they can overtake and that can lead to serious and really bad consequences.”
Those risks are what kept Unupi from buying the drug online after her insurance stopped coverage.
“It just makes me nervous. I want to get the name-brand item from a pharmacy where I can just go and pick it up. I won’t get anything compounded or anything from off of the internet because I don’t know really what’s in it,” Unupi said.
Even when taking these drugs correctly as prescribed, doctors warn they can come with dangerous side effects.
“Nausea, vomiting, constipation, GI discomfort. Patients will complain of not eating adequately, not hydrating adequately. Those can actually result in some other side effects,” Haerter said.
The drugs are most successful at treating obesity when paired with a good diet and exercise.
“Providers who are not actually educating you on nutrition and physical activity are not treating your obesity appropriately. So that needs to go hand and hand,” Haerter said.
Patients like Buckmaster prove, when used correctly, these medications can be life-changing.
“You’ll eventually love the outcome on the other side of it,” Buckmaster said.
People seeking GLP-1 drugs are encouraged to consult their own physician for a plan that’s best for them.
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