Provided by Novo Nordisk.
The photo shows an example of a counterfeit pen on top and a genuine Novo Nordisk pen on the bottom. Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received reports of a “very small number” of people being admitted to hospital after using “possibly counterfeit weight loss pens”.
CNN
—
The UK Department of Health caveat The public has been urged not to buy pre-filled pens claiming to contain the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Saxenda without a prescription after a small number of people were hospitalized.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that hospitalized patients had experienced serious side effects, including hypoglycemic shock and coma, and that the pen may have contained insulin rather than the therapeutic drug semaglutide contained in Ozempic. He said there is. The agency has not disclosed the condition of the hospitalized patient.
Ozempic is used to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and is used off-label for weight loss purposes. Saxenda, which contains the drug liraglutide, is approved in the UK as a weight loss drug. Neither drug is available without a prescription.
According to the MHRA, more than 350 potentially fake Ozempic pens have been seized since January this year. The agency has also received reports of patients in the UK obtaining counterfeit Saxenda pens “through illicit channels”.
The agency said no counterfeit weight loss pens had been seized before January 2023.
Novo Nordisk, the maker of both drugs, told CNN on Thursday that it was aware of counterfeit pens in circulation.
“Novo Nordisk investigates and reports all known incidents of counterfeiting to local authorities in accordance with applicable regulations,” Novo Nordisk spokeswoman Alison Schneider said in a statement. “Patients can protect themselves by purchasing medicines only from authorized sources and with a prescription from a health care professional.”
The MHRA also urged concerned patients to visit their healthcare provider to check whether they are receiving their medicines from legitimate sources. All pharmacies in the UK, including online pharmacies, must: Registered and the General Medicines Council.
Get CNN Health’s weekly newsletter
“We advise all members of the public not to use pre-filled weight loss pens purchased online and to report them to us so that we can investigate and take necessary action.” says Dr. Alison Cave. safety officials said in a statement Thursday. “If you buy products such as Ozempic or Saxenda from illegal traders without a prescription, you significantly increase the risk of receiving a product that is fake or not approved for use in the UK.”
Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency also warned that counterfeit Ozempic pens were being sold across the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Ann example Photos of counterfeit pens posted by German regulators show several differences from the genuine products, including different colors, lack of visible Ozempic branding, and additional numbers printed on the counterfeits. I did. “We cannot rule out the possibility that counterfeit products are being sold in Germany,” the regulator warned.
Ozempic and similar drugs, used for both diabetes and weight loss, are currently in short supply in both the United States and Europe. In June, Novo Nordisk warned that counterfeit Ozempic pens had been discovered in the United States and were “allegedly purchased at a retail pharmacy.”
CNN Health’s Meg Tirrell contributed to this report.
