The drug "vegovi", which is widely used and abused in the world for the treatment of obesity, is not registered in Montenegro.
The Montenegrin Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices (CInMED) told "Vijesta" that there was no request for registration of this medicine produced by the company "Novo Nordisk".
The drug "vegovi", whose active ingredient is semaglutide, was designed to fight type 2 diabetes, but an almost guaranteed weight loss was discovered as a side effect, which is why it is widely used and abused, including among numerous public figures.
A similar situation was recorded during the previous year, when an increasing number of celebrities, influencers and citizens used the drug "Ozempic", primarily intended for people with diabetes, to speed up the weight loss process.
Two years ago, Montenegro received permission to put it on the market, but in the previous months, no abuse of this drug was recorded, mostly due to the shortage at the global level.
In September of this year, the authorities said that the use of "ozempic" for the purpose of losing body weight is not in accordance with the approved indications and that taking the drug on your own, in uncontrolled conditions and with consultation with non-experts, can lead to long-term consequences.
CInMED said at the time that "Ozempic", like other drugs, can have side effects such as hypoglycemia, dizziness, vomiting and acute pancreatitis.
"Use outside of the approved indications, by persons for whom it is not intended, may result in more frequent manifestations of known, but also the appearance of new, unexpected adverse reactions," CInMED warned.
The BBC recently announced that "vegs" and "ozempic" were approved in the United States in 2021, but also that in Britain, a country where one in three residents is obese, patients can get "vegs" if they have a problem with excess weight and health problems caused by being overweight.
The misuse of these drugs has been registered in the region, so Serbia has limited the sale of drugs for diabetes and thyroid diseases without a prescription and medical report in pharmacies. This was done even after shortages of the drug "Ozempic" were recorded, caused by misuse by citizens who buy it "on their own" for weight loss.
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