A financial advisor has found a way to get Ozempic and is selling it at a fraction of the cost thanks to pharmacies that make generic versions and ship it right to your door.
The innovative strategy comes as Americans across the country are desperately trying to find ways to obtain the elusive weight-loss drug, which is only prescribed and covered by insurance for people with diabetes.
David Soliman, 43, found a way around this problem during his own weight loss journey, one that culminated in losing 70 pounds and creating a successful business.
Rather than spending a lot on uninsured brand-name versions of the drug, look for other companies that administer GLP-1 injections themselves, after manufacturing them in-house using nearly identical formulas.
The process is perfectly legal, although expensive and not covered by insurance. However, it allows you to sell generic versions of the drug for a quarter of the cost.
By buying the hard-to-find injections in bulk, he has successfully created a booming business and has the inside scoop on how to get the drug yourself, amid the frenzy that is GLP-1 drugs. All you have to do, he says? Forget the brand name.
David Soliman, 43, found a way to avoid spending a lot on brands like Ozempic, and you can do it too
She took advantage of the fad promoted by celebrities like Oprah to create a flourishing business.
“I’ve never texted a drug dealer for illegal drugs before, but that’s how I felt going through this process,” Soliman said. Nola.com of its first delivery, somewhat incomplete, the first of many.
“That’s when it hit me,” the New Orleans wealth management advisor explained.
‘As a financial advisor, I am constantly researching and observing things that are disrupting the markets.
“This really struck me because it completely changed things for an entire specialty within medicine.”
He went on to explain how he cornered the untapped market after a local mother alerted him to the concept of ordering the drugs from telehealth companies and using specialty pharmacies to manufacture generic versions of the drug known by names like Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro and Ozempic.
Amid a national shortage that has driven the price of Ozempic through the roof, this serves as a creative workaround, a solution that Soliman says greatly reduces the cost of GLP-1 receptor agonists, while also leaves room for profit.
He also explained that these pharmacies are typically prevented from making copies of commercially available medications, as there is a loophole that allows it during a shortage.
They circumvent patent laws by adding a harmless vitamin like B12, since compounding pharmacies are already drugstores that custom-make medications to the needs of specific patients, Soliman explained.
It cornered an untapped market by ordering generic versions of the drug from participating pharmacies, stores that custom-make medications based on the needs of specific patients. Pictured is an unrelated Walgreen’s pharmacy in New Orleans, where Soliman is based.
Another creative way to cut costs amid a new surge in demand, it lets you sell GLP-1 receptor agonists for between $240 and $390 through Facebook, while prescription users shell out up to $1,000 a month. month without insurance coverage.
Most insurance plans cover Ozempic, however, only when used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
For everyone else, Soliman’s strategy is viable. He has capitalized on those fed up with the cost of obtaining the vaccine, who now number in the thousands, as shortages continue to hamper supply.
That said, it is not without its flaws, as some experts warn that patients should proceed with caution when looking at compounded formulations of the drug.
They are not subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and are therefore essentially unregulated and subject to human error.
The agency has therefore sent a series of warning letters to companies marketing fraudulent weight-loss injections that deviate from the formulas followed by brands like Ozempic, but again, Soliman sees the vitamin B method as an easy fix.
Dr. Taniya De Silva, an endocrinologist at LSU Health New Orleans who treats patients with diabetes and obesity, told Nola.com that compounded medications could be a viable option when prescribed to qualified patients, but only if they have the same molecular formula as the manufacturer’s.
“You have to be careful who you visit and make sure they really know all the risk and benefit profiles,” he said.
Dr. Taniya De Silva, an endocrinologist at LSU Health New Orleans who treats patients with diabetes and obesity, told Nola.com that compounded medications could be a viable option when prescribed, but only if they have the same molecular formula as the manufacturer version.
Soliman has lost a whopping 31 kilos since her first birth, proving that medications known by different names like Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro and Ozempic definitely work, and that you can make them work for you too. All you have to do? Forget the brand, he says.
With a facebook group With over 800 members, Soliman’s success seems to adhere to these guidelines, further bolstered by his financial expertise and the backing of several cooperating physicians.
“There’s an incredibly viral component to these shots, where people see you lose weight and want to know what you’re doing,” Soliman told the publication on Sunday, in an article focused on her successful current fashion market cap.
‘It’s hard to find legitimate, doctor-backed businesses that aren’t a pop-up shop.
“I think people see that in us and they’re drawn to it, too.”
Meanwhile, medications like Ozempic work by mimicking the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, a hormone released by the intestine when you eat.
It turns off hunger signals in the brain and stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.
You will need to follow a low-calorie diet and exercise regularly while taking the medication.
The combination results in an average 15 percent reduction in body weight over 16 months.
With a Facebook group that boasts over 800 members, Soliman’s success seems to adhere to these guidelines, further reinforced by his financial expertise and the backing of several collaborating physicians.
Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.
Some doctors have criticized its “lifelong” status, as those who stop taking it often gain weight again and need injections permanently.
Specialty pharmacists tailor medications to patients who have needs that are not met by brand-name versions of medications, such as a baby who may need a pill in liquid form.