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US FDA says Lilly’s weight-loss drug shortage resolved

By Thomson Reuters Dec 19, 2024 | 9:12 AM

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday that Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug shortage has been resolved, following a re-evaluation of the drug’s supply by the agency.

Still, the FDA said it would not take any action against compounding pharmacies making cheaper versions of the drug within 60 to 90 days of the decision.

The FDA added that Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug was still in shortage.

A compounding pharmacies group had sued the agency in October over its decision to take tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the weight loss drug Zepbound and diabetes drug Mounjaro, off its list of drugs experiencing shortages.

The Outsourcing Facilities Association claimed that the FDA had made its decision based on Lilly’s claims that it could meet demand for the drugs, without giving the public a chance to weigh in. It said that the drug remained in short supply.

The lawsuit was put on hold days later after the FDA agreed to reconsider the decision, allowing sales of compounded versions to continue in the meantime.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Sneha S K in Bengaluru and Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)