Prescription drug shortages not uncommon, but pharmacists can help

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — ABC 6 On Your Side looked into prescription drug shortages after three viewers told us they had trouble finding insulin at local pharmacies.

Penny Johnson was one of them.

"I am a Type 2 diabetic," said Johnson. "I take a long-acting insulin, which is Lantus. And I was taking Trulicity, which is one shot a week. And that saved me from taking 3 shots a day."

But then her pharmacy ran out of Trulicity.

"When I went to pick up my prescription for this week, they didn't have it in stock," said Johnson.

"Unfortunately, we hear about drug shortages all the time," said Dr. Kelli Barnes with the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy.

"With diabetes we've heard about two different shortages. One with medications like Trulicity, which is a GLP-1 Agonist. And then one with insulin. The ones with insulin don't appear to be too much of an issue. It's usually with one product type and we can switch to a different size vial or different product. With the GLP-1 Agonists, we have seen shortages in almost every type and it's because they are fantastic medications."

GLP-1 Agonists are a group of medications that work the same way.

They're used in diabetes treatment and weight management but can also help with heart issues and to lower blood sugar.

Dr. Barnes said since they're so popular, demand can outweigh supply and that's where the pharmacist can help.

"We're trained in all the specifics about medications," said Barnes.

"We can really help other health care providers and patients transition from one medication to another and determine what would be a good fit for this patient based on their health diagnoses and their potential side effects. What's an equivilant dose and things like that."

Johnson's doctor switched her from Trulicity to Ozempic, which is a little more expensive.

But it gives her peace of mind until her preferred prescription comes back into stock.