RODNEY LAX
Business Development Consultant, Germany

Abstract

The demand for incretin-based peptide drug substances such as semaglutide and tirzepatide to treat obesity has led to shortages of these drugs for diabetics and to plans for manufacturing these and other incretin peptides on an unprecedented scale in the future. Where solid phase synthesis (SPPS) is the chosen method of manufacture, the scale of these processes could possibly exhaust current SPPS reactor capacity. This article addresses the supply chain shortages of incretin-based drugs, the manufacturing process bottlenecks, drug costs, as well as the environmental burden, and suggests some solutions. It aims to create a discussion.

Excuse me for going on a rant, but I am concerned about the future of peptide-based therapeutics for treating diabetes and obesity. Perhaps I should add “my future”.

September 2023: I am 78 and a type 2 diabetic retiree, who is treated with basal insulin, metformin, and semaglutide (Ozempic). At least that was the idea. The trouble is I, and many other Ozempic patients, can no longer get a regular supply of this drug. I am tired of pharmacists telling me to try elsewhere. At my age, I would like to spend my time more usefully than visiting out-of-stock dispensaries. And apart from that, is it really my job to be the last link in the pharmaceutical industries’ supply chain?

What worries me more is that I feel this problem is about to get much worse as NovoNordisk’s semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) and Lilly’s tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) and, to a lesser extent, NovoNordisk’s liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza) free-fall into an expanding obesity and life-style market. No question that obesity is a disease in need of treatment. With similarities to alcohol or drug addiction - if you restrict access to the causative a ...