Twelve days ago tirzepatide, branded as Mounjaro®, was taken off the Food & Druig Adminstration (FDA) medication shortage list. The reason the FDA will put a medication on the shortage list is due to lack of efficient supply from the manufacturer (Eli Lilly). Compounding medicaitons can often be done if a client needs a tweak made to a medicine, perhaps because they have an allergy to one of the original version’s ingredients or need a liquid instead of a pill. Compounding pharmacies, who make custom medications, picked up the slack and made tirzepatide and sold it straight to doctors to dispense. With the FDA removing the medication from the list, doctors will not be able to purchase tirzepatide any longer. This federal rule should stand for all compounding pharmacies.

 

Other options are being explored, such as:

• prescribing the medication through different pharmacies

• using LillyDirect, which is the manufacturer’s coupon program for Zepbound® (branded name for low dose (2.5-5mg) tirzepatide)

• waiting for the compounding pharmacies to reformulate the medication, maybe adding in a B vitamin

This sudden removal and lack of supply has been quite the thing to navigate for us all, I understand that some clients are upset.

Infusions & Injections has started replaced tirzepatide with semaglutide (branded Wegovy/Ozempic®) + a daily specially blended supplement to boost the injectable & combat the side effects of semaglutide – the nausea is worse compared to tirzepatide.

If you’ve prepaid for a tirzepatide package, the medication is on hand for you, the only thing to keep in mind is the expiration date of the medication. Thus, Infusions & Injections has been purchasing small quantities since the news hit, with the intention of prolonging the expiration date for dispensing, but we’re just about out of luck.