Availability and shortages of weight-loss medication (2026)

What is going on around availability?

In recent years there have repeatedly been shortages of GLP-1 medicines in the Netherlands. The core of the problem: demand rose faster than supply, partly because medicines registered for type 2 diabetes were also used off-label for weight loss. As a result, availability for patients who need the medicine for medical reasons came under temporary pressure.

Availability differs per brand, per strength (for example starting doses) and per period. A medicine may be available at one moment and temporarily unavailable shortly afterwards. That is why a snapshot on this site is never fully up to date: always consult your pharmacy.

Where do you find reliable, up-to-date information?

For the current status there are official, reliable sources:

• Reporting Centre for Medicine Shortages and Defects: coordinated by the Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG). Manufacturers must report expected supply problems here.
• Farmanco (KNMP): the website for medicine shortages, with information about status, reason and expected delivery dates.
• Your own pharmacy: has the best up-to-date view of what is available locally and which alternatives are possible.

Advice during shortages: priority for those who need it

During earlier shortages, the CBG advised doctors and pharmacists to temporarily not start certain GLP-1 medicines (such as Ozempic and Victoza) for new patients, so that the available supply went as a priority to existing diabetes patients. Existing users could as a rule continue their treatment. Such advice is periodically extended or adjusted based on manufacturers' supply forecasts.

Whether such advice currently applies, and for which medicines, can differ per period. Ask your doctor or pharmacy about this; they know the most current situation and any alternatives. Whether a (different) medicine is suitable for you is always assessed by a doctor. Also take a look at who it is suitable for.

Why you should not turn to illegal sources

During a shortage the temptation may arise to order medication via the internet, foreign web shops or other non-regular channels. Do not do this. It is unwise for several reasons and, in the Netherlands, a criminal offence:

• Safety: outside the regular supply chain there is no guarantee of the correct active substance, dose or quality. Counterfeit pens and fake products that can be harmful are in circulation.
• Prescription requirement: GLP-1 medicines are in the Netherlands available only on prescription through a doctor and a recognised pharmacy. Offers without a prescription are by definition not legal.
• No guidance: without a doctor and pharmacy there is no oversight of suitability, dosing, side effects or interactions.

Learn how to recognise counterfeits at recognising counterfeits. A temporary shortage is annoying, but never a reason to put your health at risk.

The role of the doctor and pharmacy during a shortage

If your medicine is temporarily unavailable, your doctor and pharmacy are the right first point of contact. They can:

• check whether a different strength, packaging or brand is available;
• assess whether an equivalent alternative is medically responsible;
• temporarily adjust the treatment and inform you about this;
• consult the current supply forecast via official sources.

Never switch medicine or dose on your own initiative. The doctor assesses what is appropriate and safe in your situation. Want to explore non-pharmaceutical options more broadly during a shortage? Take a look at alternatives. You can compare providers and their approach at clinics.

Frequently asked questions