Oct. 6, 2023 – Counterfeit versions of the weight loss drug Ozempic are showing up in a variety of schemes, and sometimes the fraudulent offers are extremely realistic, a health care trade group warned its members this week.
In some cases, offers to pharmacies come from fraudsters impersonating wholesalers and offering deep discounts on Ozempic pens. One counterfeit Ozempic pen was being offered for sale at a U.S. pharmacy earlier this year, CBS News reported.
A group representing distributors of U.S. health care products emailed a warning to its members about a wide variety of schemes being investigated by the FDA that are related to Ozempic and knockoff versions of the drug.
“The sellers offer sufficient information and documentation to give the appearance the transaction is legitimate,” the alert stated, according to CBS News. “The transaction requires full or partial payment upfront via wire transfer, non-disclosure agreements, establishment of purchase accounts, and on occasions, have involved fraudulent transaction statements.”
The fraudulent offers are fueled by high demand for weight loss drugs along with shortages of Ozempic and a similar medication called Wegovy. Both result in significant weight loss using the active ingredient semaglutide, but the two are approved for different uses. Ozempic is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is approved to treat being overweight or obese.
Earlier this year, the maker of both Ozempic and Wegovy advised people who are prescribed the drugs to “be vigilant in checking their medicine” to make sure it’s authentic. Novo Nordisk, a drug manufacturer, released pictures of counterfeit pens and packages displayed side-by-side with the real ones. Some signs that a pen or package may be counterfeit include:
- Non-traditional doses scaled on the pen.
- Poor quality label that doesn’t stick well to the pen itself.
- Spelling errors on the package.
Earlier this year, the FDA warned that knockoffs that contain compounded semaglutide, or in some cases a salt version of semaglutide, may not be safe.
Illegal counterfeits have been found worldwide, from Nigeria to Australia, CBS News reported. The industry group warning noted that the non-authentic pens have been discovered in pharmacies and during distribution.
