(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned patients and doctors about dosing errors associated with compounded versions of Novo Nordisk’s weight loss and diabetes drugs.
The health regulator said it has received reports of adverse events, some requiring hospitalization, that may be related to overdoses due to patients incorrectly self-administering the compounded drug and health care providers miscalculating doses.
Novo’s weight-loss drug, Wegovy, is available as single-dose pre-filled pens that deliver a preset dose for once weekly dosing. Its diabetes drug, Ozempic, is available as multiple-dose pre-filled pens for single-patient use, designed for once-weekly dosing.
FDA urged health care providers and compounders to provide patients with the appropriate syringe size for the intended dose and counsel patients on how to measure the dose using the syringe.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)