A New Zealand woman's experience with an online weight loss clinic has raised concerns over how it prescribes Ozempic, a popular weight loss medication around the world.
Ozempic is approved for treating type 2 diabetes. It also suppresses a patient's appetite, leading to it being in high demand for several years as an aid for weight loss.
In New Zealand it's not approved for weight loss, but doctors can still prescribe it as long as they follow Medical Council guidelines to consult fully with patients, advise of possible side effects, and tell them the medication is not approved.
The woman spoke to 1News on condition of anonymity. She described getting an Ozempic prescription from an online platform called Dr Frank's Weight Loss Clinic. It's based in the UK but has an office here, and according to its website, it has New Zealand Registered Clinicians on staff.
To get her prescription, the woman said she had a 15- to 20-minute consultation over the phone with a nurse from Dr Frank's. She was asked to watch an online video from the clinic. The prescription was approved and she was couriered one month's supply of Ozempic.
Have you used Ozempic for weight loss? Contact Simon Mercep on Simon.Mercep@tvnz.co.nz
She said she immediately had a bad reaction to the medication.
"I got very, very sick," she said. "I was vomiting all the time.
"I was bringing up a lot of bile and horrendous indigestion and heartburn. It felt like you were being burnt from the inside out. Terrible constipation."
However, she said she was so keen to lose weight she kept taking the medication. The side effects eased a little over a few weeks and she went back to Dr Frank's at the end of the month and got one more prescription. She was given laxatives, but in the end she stopped taking Ozempic after seven weeks.
"It was getting unbearable. It was affecting work, and getting to work."
She said the prescription cost her around $600 per month and she lost around 5kg over several weeks.
The woman spoke to 1News after seeing a report by 60 Minutes on TVNZ's Sunday programme about an Australian woman who took Ozempic to lose weight. She also got sick but kept taking the medication. She later died. Her husband blamed the medication.
In its international advertising, Ozempic states that side effects are possible.
1News asked the woman how much advice she was given about side effects during the telephone consultation with the Dr Frank's nurse.
"None that I recall," she said. "They just said to watch a video on the Dr Frank's website."
She said the video mentioned side effects but she believed this was not given enough emphasis.
"There was no indication they [side effects] were going to be as severe as they were."
She also said the Dr Frank's nurse did not tell her that Ozempic was an unapproved medication for weight loss, as laid down in the Medical Council guidelines.
The woman still had the Ozempic packaging. An explanatory pamphlet was written entirely in French.
1News asked Dr Frank's about the use of French, its advice on side effects, and the practice of having a nurse conduct a consultation rather than a doctor.
It did not reply specifically to these questions, but in a statement said it was registered and had approval from the New Zealand Medical Council, and had a team of New Zealand doctors.
It also said: "The welfare and safety of our patients is forefront in all operational and clinical processes. We make every effort to ensure we communicate effectively with our patients throughout their journey."
1News asked the Medical Council about the status of Dr Frank's. In a statement, chief executive Joan Simeon said: "Dr Frank's does not hold registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand. Further, we have not 'approved' Dr Frank's NZ in any way, or for any purpose."
1News also asked Medsafe about how much Ozempic is coming into the country. Its records show 11 packs of unapproved Ozempic has come in through a wholesaler since June this year. Medsafe said it considers it a small amount.
The medicines regulator has also picked up a small amount of counterfeit Ozempic at the border.
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