The high price and side effects of Ozempic, the blockbuster diabetes drug also used off label for weight loss, has led people to stretch out their supply by taking the medication in smaller, micro doses.
But the efficacy of micro dosing Ozempic has yet to be determined by clinical trials, says Northeastern professor Mansoor Amiji.
A micro dose could amount to one-10th the amount of the standard prescription, says Amiji, university distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering.
“Nobody has done any clinical studies with one-tenth of the dose to show whether it is working or not working,” he says.
Ozempic, the trade name for semaglutide, is a once-a-week injectable medication in the class of GLP-1 receptor agonists used to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Doses start at 0.25 milligrams weekly and may eventually be increased to 2 milligrams weekly, according to GoodRx.
Ozempic is also prescribed for weight loss, which is considered an off-label treatment rarely covered by insurance.