COPENHAGEN, May 1 (Reuters) - Denmark will start putting

patients suffering from type 2 diabetes on cheaper drugs before

prescribing so-called GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk's

Ozempic, the Danish Medicines Agency said on

Wednesday.

In 2023, 50% of new patients suffering from type 2 diabetes

began treatment with a reimbursed GLP-1 drug without trying a

cheaper alternative first, the Medicines Agency said.

Demand for Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic has soared

as many people have started using the diabetes drug for its

weight-loss effects.

Doctors and other prescribers in the UK were in July ordered

to stop prescribing Ozempic to people who don't have type 2

diabetes, following a national shortage of GLP-1 drugs due to

the soaring demand for approved and off-label use.

The Danish Medicines Agency expects nearly half of all those

currently using GLP-1 drugs to switch to cheaper alternatives,

but said it would continue to reimburse patients for their GLP-1

drugs, if they cannot be treated with the cheaper counterparts.

The drugs that will be affected by Denmark's new regulation

when it enters into force on Nov. 25 this year include Novo

Nordisk's Ozempic and Rybelsus, and Eli Lilly's ( LLY )

Trulicity.

The less expensive counterparts are recommended on the same

footing as GLP-1 drugs, the Medicines Agency said.