Naughton: Discount weight loss drugs becoming riskier

According to a current assessment nearly three in four Americans are overweight Worse this document predicts that for decades to come an increasing percentage of people in this country will be overweight or obese So it s not surprising that a relatively new class of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy is popular While these medications are effective they re also expensive around per month Because cabinet and private insurers are pulling back on coverage of these medications it s creating a situation where only wealthier Americans can afford these treatments You ve maybe seen advertisements for discounted versions of these weight-loss drugs Overnight companies selling these discount medications surged onto the sector due to a loophole in federal law that allows the sale of generic or compounded versions of these drugs during a national shortage of the medication Earlier this year the nationwide shortage of these weight-loss drugs was resolved and the Food and Drug Administration ordered the companies selling the compounded versions of these drugs to discontinue their sales With so much money to be made by selling these knock-off drugs these compounded treatments are still available There s another matter the low-cost versions of these medications are not identical to their brand-name counterparts From the FDA s website Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved the agency does not review compounded drugs for safety effectiveness or quality A current document from the Brookings Institution points out that majority of of these compounded weight-loss drugs come from China Considering China s well-earned reputation for cutting corners on quality and safety this should be a concern for anyone taking a compounded weight-loss medicine The Brookings record also highlighted that the FDA allows manufacturers of these compounded weight-loss drugs to self-determine whether their product meets safety and effectiveness standards This is not a sound system The statement urges Congress to address this situation to protect the American constituents Now even though the FDA has declared the shortage over several companies that sold these compounded weight-loss drugs have uncovered a new loophole to keep marketing these products This loophole allows these companies to sell medications that are personalized to the client s anatomical necessities For example companies are selling personalized compounded drugs that combine weight loss and erectile dysfunction treatments but is this safe No one can say because it s all personalized compounded drugs sold through FDA loopholes Being overweight or obese can mean a person is much more susceptible to debilitating long-term conditions like diabetes heart condition and stroke Don t we owe these Americans an assurance that compounded weight-loss drugs are safe and effective Companies selling personalized compounded drug treatments need to be better regulated and Congress and the FDA need to address this matter before too several people get hurt Hank Naughton is the president of the Centrist Democrats of America