Denmark to restrict Ozempic, other GLP-1 drugs, to treat type 2 diabetes

COPENHAGEN, May 1 (Reuters) - Denmark will start putting patients suffering from type 2 diabetes on cheaper drugs before prescribing so-called GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, the Danish Medicines Agency said on Wednesday.

In 2023, 50% of new patients suffering from type 2 diabetes began treatment with a reimbursed GLP-1 drug without trying a cheaper alternative first, the Medicines Agency said.

Demand for Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic has soared as many people have started using the diabetes drug for its weight-loss effects.

Doctors and other prescribers in the UK were in July ordered to stop prescribing Ozempic to people who don't have type 2 diabetes, following a national shortage of GLP-1 drugs due to the soaring demand for approved and off-label use.

The Danish Medicines Agency expects nearly half of all those currently using GLP-1 drugs to switch to cheaper alternatives, but said it would continue to reimburse patients for their GLP-1 drugs, if they cannot be treated with the cheaper counterparts.

The drugs that will be affected by Denmark's new regulation when it enters into force on Nov. 25 this year include Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Rybelsus, and Eli Lilly's Trulicity.

The less expensive counterparts are recommended on the same footing as GLP-1 drugs, the Medicines Agency said.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by David Evans)