Beware of the buyer. The Food and Drug Administration warns people to pay attention to the shipment of fake Ozempics that currently flood the market.
FDA and Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk jointly issued an alert about FakeZempic last week. It is believed that hundreds of fakes have entered the drug supply chain. It is not clear whether these units pose unique safety risks, but anyway, the FDA told patients, pharmacies and doctors not to use or distribute them if confirmed.
According to the alert, Novo Nordisk distributed FDA notices on April 3 outside of a U.S. authorized supply chain, which the FDA said it managed to catch some of the drugs on April 9. It can be done by combining batch number PAR0362 (a real lot number) and the first serial niger nororder nifer nifer nifer nifer nifer nifer nifer nifer noce note nork note nofe nofe nofe nofe nought first 51 nigrient 51 (note)51 (nosef)51 (nosef)51 (4)
The counterfeit was specifically labeled as a 1 mg dose of Ozempic, approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Ozempic has also become a popular weight loss drug since Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy approved higher doses of the same active ingredient (Semaglutide) approved by obesity in 2021.
The FDA has received six adverse events reports related to this particular Ozempic (submitted by Novo Nordisk), but no one has been involved in counterfeiting products. Both the FDA and Novo Nordisk are testing captured fake products, but they have no information on the quality, security or identity of the product.
This is not the first time that Ozes has made public fake. In 2023, FDA and health agencies in other countries reported similar counterfeiting issues, which caught thousands of units that entered the U.S. supply chain that year. In at least some cases, artificial products actually contain insulin, so some users are hospitalized due to insulin overdose. The FDA also pointed out in 2023 that the needles used to inject these drugs are also fake, increasing the risk of improper sterilization. Last year, the World Health Organization issued its own alert after a forged batch sold in Brazil, the UK and the US
Then, as now, the FDA warns people not to seize any opportunity and stay away from these artificial products.
“The agency advises patients, wholesalers, retail pharmacies and healthcare professionals to check for Ozempic products they receive, do not use, distribute or sell, products,” the FDA said.
